Learning To Love and Learning From Love
by Moonlit Rain
Summary: AU: A romance story of Cardcaptor Sakura completely mixed up. Full of love's follies, complications, drama, and triangles including alterations and odd pairs. Sakura/Syaoran, Eriol/Tomoyo, Meiling/Touya, and Sonomi/Original character
1. The Strange Meeting

Learning To Love and Learning From Love 

A/N: Hey everybody! Although this was originally written nearly a year ago, I'm revising the original version. I felt that the chapters 1-4 of this fic were more terribly written than my writing usually is, considering that this was written when I was still new to writing. But even so, I'm still a huge novice. -_- The chapter will [hopefully] be better and longer than before. For people new to this fic... just be warned that this fic is extremely AU, which means alternate universe... but at the same time, you'll find that this fic [kinda] follows the CCS storyline. Syaoran and Meiling are siblings as Touya and Sakura are orphans escaping from the unbearable tortures of the orphanage. Syaoran is engaged to an original character of mine and... the rest is to be discovered. O_o Everyone is 11 and Touya is 18. Rated PG for some foul language and dramatic complications later on. Hope people take time to read the revision. -_- So Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS PERIOD

Chapter 1: The Strange Meeting  
  
"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

~*~ = Scene/time change

[...] = Italicized words  
  


"O Key that holds the Power of the Moon! Show your true form before me. I, Syaoran command under convert. Release!" A boy with closed eyes held a key floating in the air between his two parted hands. Wind came forth and surrounded him and a mystical circle with a moon and various other patterns appeared under him. His appearance and aura that surrounded him gave one a certain sensation. A sensation that felt like this boy was particularly using [magic].

The small key extended into a long staff and the boy grabbed it, finally opening his eyes. The first thing one would see was the way his amber eyes reflected fierceness, concentration, coldness. But if one studied harder, they would see that was not true. The boy then pulled out a card from nowhere. A card with a rather mystic and strange appearance. He proceeded to throw the card into the air, making it spin around fairly rapidly. He then lifted his staff, striking the card. 

"Reveal your true form and put to use your sole purpose! Twin!" he shouted as streams of light flew out of the card and headed towards a certain area of the room he was in. It seemed to be a big room with equipment used for the art of fighting. Not just any type of fighting. Martial Arts. The streams of flowing light materialized into two small figures - twin figures. As soon as the completely materialized, they both got into fierce fighting stances.

The boy got into a fighting stance as well, the staff magically vanishing into thin air. Beside him, a girl with long, raven black hair pulled back into a single braid and piercing, but lovely cerulean eyes made fighting pose beside him as well. "Come on Syaoran." she urged and both of them lunged forward as the Twin across from them did the same. The two pairs engaged in a battle of Martial Arts skill, the battle raging on for a few minutes.

Finally, the human pair turned out victor as they gave one, final kick to the Twin, knocking both down. The battle had been fairly easy, not to mention that both pairs had to move simultaneously without making one signal to their partner. This would have been nearly an impossible task for a normal person, but for people like Li Syaoran and Iowa Fang-Fei, years of training and studying moves, things like this would be a rather simple task.

As the Twin returned to its retired form, Fang-Fei turned to Syaoran and did something that would surprise most normal people. She jumped onto Syaoran, knocking him to the floor immediately. "Fang-Fei... you're... choking..." Syaoran gasped from underneath her. She was to be his wife when he grew up, but he sometimes just couldn't stand her. Not that she was a bad person... she was just... too attached to him... possessive... she was just... Fang-Fei.

"Fang-Fei, isn't it time for you to go home?" Syaoran asked when she had broken their tight embrace - well at least on her part - and had gotten up from the floor. She nodded sadly, but gave Syaoran another tight hug as he got up. "I'll just see you tomorrow then, Syaoran!" she told him excitedly then walked to the front door of his house. 

After she had left, Syaoran gave an enormous heave. He had been engaged to his cousin, Iowa Fang-Fei. He didn't hate her, of course he didn't, he loved her just like he would a close sister like Li Meiling. But... he didn't love her like she loved him. But then again, who did he love like the way she loved him? He sighed. Sometimes he wondered how it would feel to be in love... and maybe even wished a [tiny] bit to experience that... he shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking of that. He should be thinking of being the Clow Master. Of becoming the future leader of the Li Clan. Other things just had to come before love...

"Poor Syaoran..." sighed Meiling as she watched him standing, apparently in deep thought, after Fang-Fei had left. Meiling with her long, raven hair put into odangos and fierce red-ruby eyes, she was a warrior alongside her brother. She put her hand on the cool glass door she was watching through, peering in at Syaoran. Meiling knew that Syaoran wasn't satisfied with his engagement with Fang-Fei. But he did care for tremendously, considering she [was] their cousin. Although Meiling was her cousin as well, she didn't get along with Fang-Fei well at all. But that came as no surprise for anyone. Both of them had similar personalities with their characteristic fiery temper and fierce exterior. 

Many people looked down upon them for their adamant wills and constant foolish impulses, but all the while other people looked up to them for their feisty personalities and the sensitivity that was locked within in them and released when the time came to show it. Meiling tended to be the warm-hearted of the two, however. She had many friends who loved her just as much. Fang-Fei didn't have any friends but Syaoran. Maybe she was just too occupied with keeping Syaoran under her gaze and hers only. Or maybe she just wasn't the kind of person to reach out for friends. Whatever it was, she had only eyes for Syaoran and she was happy that way.

Meiling knew from the very beginning when Fang-Fei and Syaoran had gotten engaged at age nine that Syaoran hadn't loved her like a fiancé should. The way Fang-Fei loved him. And, being the hopeless romantic she was along with Tomoyo, she had always went against that. Marriage should ascend from one's heart. Not be forced. She had always, and will always, thought that Syaoran should choose with his own heart. He hadn't met his fate just yet... but when he did, she should be the one to keep his heart from the day he sees her and forever more. However, fate was sometimes cruel. Maybe his fate was set to stay by Fang-Fei's side since the day they both say "I do"...

The sound of the door suddenly sliding open next to her startled Meiling, causing her to look up on instant reflex. There stood her elegant mother in traditional Chinese robes and her chin held high as a signal of importance. Meiling gave a small bow of respect to Yelan before she opened her mouth to inquire of the latter which was plaguing her mind. She just hoped that Yelan would approve of this inquiry, one that shouldn't have been explicable to the traditional Li warrior - even if she [was] a female.

Meiling looked up tentatively as the first syllable came out of her mouth. A soft smile adorned her mother's strict yet gentle face. "Mother... do you think Syaoran is... happy with his... engagement with Fang-Fei?" Meiling inquired quietly but as respectfully as possible, pausing at some places to search for the precise words. Yelan gave Meiling a slightly surprised look which dissolved as quickly as it came. 

"Why do you ask, Meiling? I'm sure Syaoran is satisfied with his engagement. If he doesn't, he conceals it well." Meiling wanted to so badly to inform her that Syaoran was an expert at concealing his true feelings, but decided to keep her mouth shut and continued to listen. "Fang-Fei is your cousin and she is a loyal girl, a bit short-tempered, but has the capability to love Syaoran. Plus she has magical powers, which are developing to grow stronger, at that, and I know Syaoran can learn to love her."

Meiling wasn't so sure about that last part but didn't argue. She gave Yelan another tentative smile and bowed once again. "I was just wondering-" Meiling began but was cut off. "I know you care about your brother very much. You were just worrying about him." Yelan stated, smiling at Meiling in a proud sense. Meiling smiled and nodded, relieved that her mother had understood. "I'll be making my way to Tomoyo's house." Meiling informed Yelan, waiting patiently for her answer. Yelan nodded, approving of the request. 

As Meiling made her way towards Tomoyo's house in the form of quick sprints, Yelan stared back at her, curiosity and wonder filling her eyes.

~*~

As Meiling made her way through the streets, several sakura petals came down on her. She caught one in her hand and stared at it. It was a pale and pretty pink, frail, fragile, and bright. She let the wind sweep it away along with the other petals that had helplessly fallen. Her neighbor was one of the few neighborhoods with these pretty pink blossom trees. In the spring, it was always a beautiful sight, the trees clustered with them. Syaoran always seemed enchanted by this. 

But now it was the very beginning of autumn and the leaves were already starting to fall in various colors of red, orange, yellow, and brown. Her mind was then focused on her brother's dilemma. Fang-Fei was her cousin all right, but Meiling had never gotten along with her. They were always yelling at each other and getting into cat fights. And Meiling's brother was engaged with her. Fang-Fei was never really friendly to anyone except Syaoran. Meiling sighed. She didn't have [any] friends except Syaoran.

As she approached Tomoyo's neighborhood, which were one of the richest in all of Hong Kong, Meiling decided that she'd explain all this to Tomoyo. But she doubted that Tomoyo didn't already know. Tomoyo was closer to Syaoran as Meiling was and knew practically everything about him. She could tell how he was feeling, like Meiling did, and she was loyal to him just as much as Meiling was. 

Tomoyo and Syaoran had been best friends for four, full years and Meiling never remembered a day where they got into a small argument, let alone a fight. They were a great pair and there wasn't a soul in school where they didn't know that the fierce, aloof, and hard-working Li Syaoran and the rich, talented, and pure-hearted Daidouji Tomoyo were best friends. Both were from adequately famous families, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that they would be very sought-after in their late years. Meiling smiled. They made a great pair of friends... but not a couple. Meiling wouldn't know [what] to do if they were a couple. Her train of thought was interrupted as she realized that she was right in front of the Daidouji mansion.

~*~

"Ah, Meiling, hello. Is something wrong?" Tomoyo asked, ushering Meiling into her elegant room. Meiling shook her head. "Just wanted to come over, Tomoyo. Sorry, should I go home if you were busy or something?" Meiling asked, looking slightly guilty. "No, of course of not, Meiling! Let's just have some tea." Tomoyo apologized, then, coincidentally and seemingly magically, at that moment, a maid walked in, holding a tray full of things for tea. Tomoyo, complete with long, violet hair and beautiful amethyst eyes, smiled in gratitude at the maid.

As soon as the tray was set down, Meiling grabbed the teapot handle, as she was used to this, and poured the tea for the both of them and handed one of the cups to Tomoyo. "Thank you." Tomoyo said to Meiling who just nodded. Meiling grabbed a pastry and took a bite, the sweet tooth of hers acting up."So, Meiling... is there a reason why you came?" Tomoyo asked tentatively, hoping to get a response.

Meiling took a long drink from her teacup then set it down. She nodded slowly, then turned her head to look at Tomoyo. "It's about Syaoran." she informed Tomoyo, who got a worried glaze on her eyes. "And Fang-Fei." Meiling finished disdainfully as if a bitter taste was caught in her throat. Tomoyo set down her teacup and gazed sadly and almost longingly at the folds of her violet dress. They stayed like that, Tomoyo subconsciously playing around with the soft, silky material of her dress, and Meiling taking quiet sips of now lukewarm tea.

"Syaoran's not happy." The suspecting statement came out from Tomoyo with a hint of unhappiness. Meiling waved the oncoming thought. Tomoyo just cared a lot about Syaoran. "Yeah." Meiling responded quietly, twirling her lengthy ponytail that flowed from her odango around her hand. Tomoyo kept her gaze on her lap, her amethyst eyes drawing an expression that was one of sadness. 

The atmosphere of the room was an uncomfortable one. Meiling was usually cheerful and energetic with quite a temper, but this was just a bit uncharacteristic of her. But no one was really comfortable in the subject of her brother being unhappy. She wanted to break the tense and heavy mood. She then got an idea. "Hey, Tomoyo. Why don't we walk to my house and get Syaoran so we can all go for a walk to cheer him up?" Meiling suggested with a smile, looking at Tomoyo expectantly who slowly and genuinely smiled back. 

"Sure." Tomoyo answered, getting up from the spot where she was sitting at, and waiting patiently for Meiling to drink up the last remaining few drops of the tea in her cup. Meiling stood up and smiled and Tomoyo who just smiled back, thoughts of unhappiness flitting away. Syaoran had that effect on her. Meiling took a hold of Tomoyo's hand who squeezed Meiling's in response and the two set off for the Li mansion.

~*~

Syaoran closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Training was hard work and drained a lot of energy from Syaoran. But it was a part of his daily life, and daily life was always the same for him. Get up early, go to school, train, eat, and all the necessary. It was all neat, orderly, proper, and scheduled. But sometimes... it would get a bit dull. Meiling didn't necessarily have it like he did. She was an opportunist, making many friends and having an enthusiasm about life in general. To face the pessimistical side, Syaoran's life was as exciting as watching an egg boil.

Many people had thought that it would be a wonderful life to live as a member of the Li clan: fighting, training, magic, strength, and all of what a Li warrior's life was all about. But once it's a routine, a schedule, a life, the practical air you breathe, it was as normal to them as eating, sleeping, and going to school was for a normal child of age eleven. And Syaoran knew only of this life and not any other. He had built a stone wall around himself to keep most other people out. And it would take a miracle to break down the wall.

Syaoran remembered how it had always been at school; the bright, disciplined, and strong Li Syaoran, cold, fierce, and serious. His only friends were Daidouji Tomoyo and partly Yamazaki Takashi, along with his sister Li Meiling who was quite the opposite of him, like the Yin and Yang. He always stood out, being [different] from the others. A lot of the other boys were either scared of him or were tremendously jealous of him as he was the target of most of the young, immature crushes of the giggling girls. But nonetheless, he was considered [different.]

His back tensed on reflex as his doorbell rang. The first thing that crossed his mind was the possibility that it was Fang-Fei. He wasn't prepared for [another] time set of a hyperactive girl's love-struck antics. He didn't budge from that spot. His older sister by seven years, Feimei would go and open it if they rang long enough. Sure enough, the quite-irritated voice of his older sister yelled something along the lines of "Alright, alright, hold your horses." He wasn't so sure as to they were quite incoherent.

"Syaoran! It's Tomoyo and Meiling! It's [your] friends and you expect [me] to open the door?" Feimei shouted directly to Syaoran who got up at once. He had expected to be Fang-Fei, but he was obviously wrong. He made his way to the front door where Meiling stood pouting, Feimei stood, a triumphant smirk straight across her face, and Tomoyo stood patiently smiling. The moment he entered the room, Tomoyo's eyes lit up like a star in the night sky. 

"Hello Syaoran." she greeted him calmly but happily, smiling at him gently and lovingly. "Hi Tomoyo." he greeted back. He wasn't smiling, but anyone with eyes could tell he wasn't unhappy to see them. "Hey Syaoran." Meiling said to her brother moodily, glaring up at Feimei. Syaoran acknowledged it with a nod and looked up at his older sister who was a couple heads taller than them. "Okay, now I'll leave."she gave in, receiving Syaoran's signal and gave Meiling one final smirk before making her way back up the stairs.

Meiling stared after her, sticking her tongue out in the process. "She's so mean!" Meiling whined, indicating to Feimei. Syaoran rolled his eyes while Tomoyo giggled. "What was it about [this] time?" he queried in annoyance, glancing at Meiling. She pouted and crossed her arms in a childish manner. "She called me an impatient, short-tempered, and spoiled [brat]! For no reason!" Meiling reasoned defiantly, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Syaoran sighed heavily and touched his forehead with his hand. "Doesn't she always?" he inquired, making a point. "Yeah, but she had no reason to!" Meiling defended once again. Tomoyo giggled again.

"Anyways Syaoran, we came to see if you'd be able to go on a walk with us. Would you like to?" Tomoyo offered with a smile. And Syaoran followed as well. A small smile formed on his lips, curving them slightly. "That would be good." he responded quite cheerfully. He had no idea how happy that made Tomoyo. "Syaoran, you really [should] smile more often." Meiling teased, pinching his cheeks. Syaoran withdrew his face, slapping Meiling's hand away playfully. 

The three set out the door into the crisp and cool foretelling autumn wind. Cherry blossoms and leaves twirled and danced in the relaxing wind, one stopping to rest atop Syaoran's head. He brushed his head and watched the sakura fall to the ground then be taken away to an unknown destination by the wind. He couldn't deny that he felt relaxed, relieved, and happy at that moment. Some moments like these were the breaks he got from his life, the air he breathed. Just walking alongside Tomoyo and Meiling complemented his day. But...

He foreboded an arrival of something, or [someone] else that would break his cycle, his routine, his life. He just didn't know what. It was a feeling that aroused at the bottom of his heart. But he knew it was in there somewhere, trying to tell him something... just what?

~*~ 

"Big Brother?" A pair of feet slowed to a stop. "Yes?" a male voice answered with a tint of annoyance. "Can we rest? I'm tired." a female voice of a child asked with pleading. The older male sighed. "Sakura, we've already rested four times already." he reasoned with her, obviously tired of all this. "Please?" his younger sister begged. He sighed heavily and let himself drop onto the curb. "Thank you!" the girl sighed with relief, dropping next to her brother, relieved to rest.

The brother, Kinomoto Touya, with black hair was about two times the height of his little sister and seemed to be around age 18. His coffee eyes had a serious look to it and his mouth seemed to always be in that downward curve it was at right now. The younger sister, Kinomoto Sakura was cute little thing with short, auburn hair pulled back into two pigtails to the side and enchanting emerald eyes which also held a shining innocence and happiness.

The two stayed silent for couple minutes, Sakura taking advantage to rest up while her brother was lost in deep thought. "Big Brother, why did we have to leave the orphanage again?" Sakura asked wonderingly. Touya paused for a second before proceeding. "... The orphanage didn't have much quality... and basically, Sakura, they treated us like shit." he explained to her hesitantly, spitting out the last part bitterly. 

Sakura gave him a disapproving look. "Big Brother, you shouldn't curse like that." she scolded reproachfully, earning a scoff and a smirk from Touya. She huffed. "Big Brother, you're so mean." she grumbled quietly, resting her chin on her knee. Touya chuckled and ruffled Sakura's hair who gave a small "hey!". "What would I do without you, my little monster?" he asked adoringly, receiving another huff from Sakura. "I'm [not] a monster!" she complained, giving her brother a shove who just laughed back. "Yeah, whatever, Monster." Sakura huffed once again. "Big Brother, you're mean." she repeated before earning another ruffle of hair.

~*~

An electric shock zapped through Syaoran and Meiling at the same time, causing both to abruptly stopped, looking here and there as if searching for something. Tomoyo stopped as well and gave them a worried look. "Is something wrong?" she inquired, looking around as well. "No... but we feel two magical auras around here somewhere." Syaoran informed her, his eyes narrow and his pupils moving from side to side, looking for any signs of suspicious people.

"Syaoran, I think it's that way!" Meiling told him as she started running towards the direction she was pointing at. "Aa, Meiling, wait!" Syaoran shouted desperately, grabbing a hold of Tomoyo's hand and running as well. Tomoyo didn't mind that she was being forced to run as humanly quick as possible. All she felt was Syaoran's hand grasping hers as she followed him, running at full speed. She could just dream that they were running to a solitary place all by themselves, Syaoran leading the way, smiling adoringly at her who smiled back as well. A person could dream, couldn't they?

Unfortunately, her magical daydream ended as Syaoran briskly stopped and released his hold on her hand. Meiling had stopped and they were standing in front of two people who looked to be a girl their age and her older brother. The two groups just stared at each other, questions arousing. Touya finally decided to start the questionnaire. "May we help you?" he asked hesitantly and cautiously, slowly inching his arm to block Sakura from any possible harm.

Syaoran and Meiling felt stupid standing there, but anyhow, they didn't know what to say. "Ah... uh... do you have a magical aura?" Meiling queried hurriedly, racking her brain to find one. Tomoyo sweatdropped while Syaoran slapped his forehead. Meiling gave an apologizing look as Syaoran sighed. Touya narrowed his eyes in suspicion. What did these kids think they were messing with? Were they being serious? Touya had to find out, but he always had to be careful as well.

"Ok, what are you kids up to?" Touya reproached, crossing his arms and looking down on them. "We're just asking you, do you have magical powers because me and him have them too, and magic's powerfully radiating from you." Meiling explained, seeming insulted whenever Touya had asked what these "kids" were up to. Syaoran gave a glare towards Meiling. She couldn't keep her mouth shut, could she? However, Touya and Sakura just stared at them wide-eyed in wonder.

None of them knew what to say, as Meiling had took them all by surprise. "You wouldn't happen to be part of the Li Clan, would you?" Touya finally broke the silence as he received two nods. He nodded in understanding, letting his guard down just by a tiny amount. "So... you've got magic?" Meiling suggested a subject, impatient of the silence that reverberated in the air. Touya slowly and tentatively nodded. "Yeah..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say next. All of a sudden, Touya grabbed his sister and ran, an idea off from the top of his head.

"Hey!" Meiling yipped as she watched the two suspicious people running - well at least one was running and the other was being dragged. Syaoran's eyes narrowed and he pulled out his magical key that he had at a previous time. "O Key that holds the Power of the Moon! Show your true form before me. I, Syaoran command under convert. Release!" Syaoran chanted in an almost incoherently low voice. The key once again expanded into a staff and Syaoran took a grab of it. He pulled out a card and threw it up into the air. "Endow your powers onto this staff and create a distance warp. LOOP!" he yelled powerfully as he stroke the card and what seemed to be a glowing red ribbon flew out into the air.

Whilst all this was happening, Tomoyo was staring at Syaoran admirably, a video camera in hand and taping every little breath he took. To people that really didn't know Tomoyo well at all, this would seem out of the ordinary. But Tomoyo had always said that if you were to be someone's "number 1 fan" you would have to want to imprint everything they had done in someway. She chose videotaping as she was good at it and she enjoyed it. She always loved to play back these tapes and watch Syaoran go through his exploits of Clow Cards and the transformation of the Clow Cards with the help of... Tomoyo didn't want to say. Those kinds of memories are poison to the mind of memory lane and should be extinguished. But they [were] caught on tape... unfortunately. 

Suddenly, Tomoyo's train of thought was broken at the sound of Syaoran and Meiling's pounding footsteps as they ran towards the two strangers. Tomoyo quickly followed as well, the lens of the camera still against her eye. "We want you to explain everything. [Now]." Syaoran demanded, glaring at Touya who glared back. "Now why should a [brat] like you [assume] that we're hiding something?" Touya asked, immediately lighting a fire in Tomoyo's heart. How dare he call [her] Syaoran a [brat]!

"Well, you [did] start running away." Meiling observed as she stroked her chin, grinning up at him who just glared back. A smirk replaced Syaoran's characteristic scowl. Tomoyo giggled at the amusing scene. Meiling always had smart little remarks ready. "We're not going to do anything to you. We just want to know what you're hiding." Meiling explained to Touya, a bit more slowly than he had wanted her to. He shot her another glare. This [brat] was just as annoying as her brother. 

Now whilst all this was happening, Sakura didn't have a say in anything. She was actually terrified. She stood there, wide-eyed, watching the two stranger children about her age and her brother arguing about whether they had any magical lineage or not. Why couldn't her and her brother just get some peace which they desperately needed. But Sakura found an attraction towards the trio. They probably didn't have anything to do with her life, but she felt as if she was in close relation to each of them. Especially the boy with burning amber eyes that her brother had called a brat...

Should he tell? Touya had no clue as to if he should tell them or not. If they were part of the Li clan, they were to trust and wouldn't do anything bad to them. But if they were characters that shouldn't be trusted, Touya would be hanging the fate of him and Sakura on a string. But somehow, he felt a pull towards them as if he had a relation with them, similar to what Sakura was unknowingly going through as well. In one sudden decision, Touya decided to confide in them.

"My sister and I are orphans for about seven years. Our parents, Fujitaka and Nadeshiko Kinomoto, were powerful magicians and we lived a happy life. But when my sister was four years of age and I was just eleven myself, our parents got into a terrible accident when experimenting with magic and the accident was also fatal. That's when we were sent to an orphanage. We lived in that same orphanage for the full seven years and it was a living hell. Finally, we decided to escape. And here we are." Touya finished, surprising himself and Sakura. Immediately, he felt regret.

"Oh... I see." Meiling commented, showing that she wasn't expecting something like this at all. Everyone stayed quiet for a while. Where to go from there? Then Tomoyo cleared her throat. "I could take one of you into my house, for a while at least." she offered courteously, smiling softly at the two. Sakura and Touya exchanged glances. "And the other--" Touya asked but was cut off by Meiling. "Can stay with us." she said as well, her voice loud and proud. She received a glare from Syaoran. 

"You can't just go around offering our house to people." he whispered to her fiercely. "Come on Syaoran, it's just [one] person." Meiling reasoned, looking at Syaoran pleadingly. He sighed heavily and glanced the other way. "Do what you like." he gave in moodily, earning a grateful smile from Meiling. "So, what do you say?" she directed the questioning to Touya who didn't know what to say.

He received pleading looks from Sakura and Meiling. Were these people good enough to trust? Would whoever took Sakura in take a good care of her? A million questions raced through his head, each one more complex than the previous one. But then again, they had no place to stay for now until Touya would get a job and they could settle down. He ignored any distractions and concentrated his thoughts on the matter at hand. But what to choose?

~End of Chapter

A/N: [Hopefully] that was a better version than the first draft. It certainly is longer. But quantity can't be quality, can it? I hope previous readers take the time to read this new version and enjoy it. At the moment, my internet isn't working... so this won't posted [hopefully] not much longer from now. I'm working on other things including this fic and other one-shots. Right now, I just can't handle more than that and I'm considering deleting any other series fics excluding this. I'm taking forever to do [anything]. So, I hope you enjoyed and please take the time to comment/criticize [constructively]! 'Til next update! Ja ne, peoples!!!


	2. Family Mysteries

Learning To Love and Learning From Love  
  
A/N: THANK FOR ALL THE ENCOURAGING REVIEWS!!! It cheered me up a lot and I thank all of you! I'm sorry this chapter is coming out late, but it was due to computer changes. Now, I'll shut up and on with the chapter! Enjoy!  
  
"..." = Speaking  
'...' = Thoughts  
*~*~* = Scene change  
Bold words = emphasized words  
  
Chapter 2: Family Mysteries  
  
"Sure." Touya said. "Yay!" Sakura said really loudly. Everyone stared at her. She covered her mouth and said "I'm sorry." Touya sighed. "Monster..." he said quietly. "Hey!" Sakura said and she kicked Touya. Touya's face tightened in pain. Meiling giggled a little. Touya gave a small glare. "Sorry." she said with a bright smile on her face. Touya smiled. "It's okay." he said. "But are you sure were not giving you any trouble at all?" Sakura asked, concerned. "No of course not!" Meiling and Tomoyo said. "Sakura...what a cute name!" Tomoyo said. "Hoe?" Sakura said, confused. "Don't worry. She's always like that." Syaoran said. They kept staring at eachother. Touya noticed this. He stuck his face in front of Syaoran's in a threatening manner and said "Get. Away. From. My. Sister" he said, saying every word slowly. They glared at each other in a glaring contest. (Sounds familiar?) "Okay, okay, okay! Let's just go!" Tomoyo said, not wanting a fight to start.   
  
They made their way to the Li mansion (I guess that's what you'd call it) and asked Yelan if they could stay. "Well, if they have magical powers, I'm sure the elders would allow 1 to stay." she said. "WHAT!!! Me being seperated from big brother?" Sakura yelled. "Don't worry, Sakura. You can stay at my mansion." Tomoyo said. "Thank you!" Sakura said. "May I ask your last name?" Yelan said. "Kinomoto" Sakura and Touya answered. "Okay. Nice to meet you Ms. Kinomoto, Mr. Kinomoto." she said politely. "Nice to meet you too." Sakura and Touya answered. "We'll be leaving now, Mrs. Li. Good-bye." Tomoyo said politely. Sakura said farewell and everyone else did.   
  
"Mr. Kinomoto, dinner will be ready shortly." Yelan said and walked into her room. "WHY YOU BITCH!!!" a loud shout came from somewhere. Out came along Meiling's and Syaoran's sister, looking VERY mad. (A/N: I don't know any of Syaoran's sisters' names. Do you? Can you please tell me in your review? She'll probably be mentioned a lot in the story.) "MEILING I TOLD YOU NOT TO--" she stopped after seeing Touya. "Who's he?" she asked Meiling. "He's a guest that's coming to live with us for who knows how long." Meiling replied. "Oh. He's hot." she said. Syaoran slapped his forehead, Meiling rolled her eyes, and Touya sweat-dropped. 'She's so boy-crazy.' Meiling and Syaoran thought.  
  
(Half and hour later)  
  
Everyone was sitting at the dinner table, ready for dinner. Syaoran and Meiling's sister was staring, starry-eyed at Touya. This made Touya a bit nervous. While eating dinner, Yelan asked Touya something. "Mr. Kinomoto, why are you not eating your food?" she asked. "I thank you for all this hospitality, but I don't deserve it." Touya said. "No, it's alright. The elders want you to stay. They say there's something very special about you and Ms. Kinomoto." Yelan said. "What?" Touya asked curiously. "They did not tell me. They want to meet with you tomorrow." Yelan said. "Now, why don't you tell us about yourself and Ms. Kinomoto?" Yelan asked. "Well, I'm 18 and Sakura is 11." Touya began. "She's your age." Yelan told Syaoran an Meiling. "And Touya's my age!" their sister said. "Now don't be rude! Call him respectfully!" Yelan scolded their sister. "Sorry mother." she said in a way-too-sweet-and-innocent voice. "As I was saying." Touya continued, a bit annoyed. "Our mother and father died somehow when a fire incantation they did got out of control." he said. (A/N: I don't know how could some magical people goof up on an incantation, but let's just say they somehow did.) "Do you know any magic?" Yelan asked him. "No, my mother and father never got to teaching me how to do magic and Sakura was so young, so all we can do is sense magic." Touya answered. "I can teach you magic!" their sister said. "We can teach you magic." Meiling said. "No, she's bad at magic." their sister said. Meiling glared. "So what do you say?" their sister asked, ignoring Meiling's glare. "Sure." Touya said.   
  
The rest of the night went in peace except for some occasional flirting from Syaoran and Meiling's sister.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(A/N: Now to Sakura and Tomoyo's story. Never thought I'd get to them, right?)  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo was eating dinner with Sonomi. "Thank you for the wonderful dinner!" Sakura said. "You're welcome!" Sonomi said. Sonomi stared at Sakura. 'Hoe?' Sakura thought in her mind. "You look like someone I used to know." Sonomi said, with evident tears in her eyes. "What's your last name?" Sonomi asked. "Kinomoto." Sakura asked with confusion in her voice. Sonomi burst out in tears. She hugged Sakura. "I never thought..." she said.  
  
A/N: Finished chapter! Sorry it's out late! The family mysteries...are based on the T.V. show, so it's obvious. I hope you all like this chapter! And this is going to be Meiling+Touya NOT Touya+Meiling's sister. The romance relationships should start in the 3rd or 4th chapter. Sorry if I got any grammer or spelling mistakes. 'Til next chapter! 


	3. Getting Life Started

Learning To Love and Learning From Love  
  
A/N: Hi people! Now the 3rd chapter of my on-going series. Thanks to the people that told me Syaoran's sisters' names! It was helpful! And thanks to the reviewers too! Someone pointed out that Touya is old enough to work and stuff and thank you for pointing that out whitewolf for showing me that but people, just pretend that's not true, ok? Okay then! On with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: Is this necessary? Fine, Cardcaptor Sakura and all the characters in it belong to CLAMP, alright? Oh yes, and I'll be using a tiny scene from the movie "The Princess Diaries". I don't own that either.  
  
Chapter 3: Getting Life Started  
  
Sonomi burst out in tears. "I never thought..." she said. "Never thought what?" Sakura asked. "Your mother was my cousin." Sonomi said. "WHAT!" Sakura said. "After I heard about your mother's death, I tried to find you and your brother to take care of you, but I couldn't and I figured you'd be safe in an orphanage somewhere, so I let it go." Sonomi said. "Now I've found you! But where's your brother?" she asked. "Oh, he's staying with Syaoran's family." Tomoyo said. Sonomi sighed. "That's a relief. I thought something happened to him."   
  
Sakura smiled. "I don't remember much about my parents. Could you tell me about them?" she asked. "Well, when your father married your mother, I was furious at him for taking away my most best friend." she said, frowning a bit. (I'm NOT going to put ANY trace of yaoi or yuri in this fic, so that means Sonomi thinks of Nadeshiko as a cousin.) "But then after they got married and I got to know your father, I found out why she married him. He was the perfect husband for Nadeshiko. Kind and perfect. A little too soft for me though. I married a tough, stubborn man with good qualities. Too bad he passed away." she said, her eyes showing sadness.   
  
She saw Tomoyo sadden up too. "But together for 5 years, we raised a wonderful daughter." she said, in hopes of cheering Tomoyo up. Tomoyo gave a sweet smile. "You got that right! Tomoyo is wonderful!" Sakura said, smiling at Tomoyo. "Well, you better get up to bed or you'll be tired in school." Sonomi told Tomoyo. "Okay mother." she said. "Sakura, we'll register you tomorrow." Sonomi said. "Okay!" Sakura said. Tomoyo and Sakura went up to bed. Tomoyo showed her her room and whatever else.   
  
After Sakura and Tomoyo washed up and changed into pajamas, Tomoyo went into Sakura's room to check up on her. She found Sakura writing in an old-looking, bashed up book. "What are you writing?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura screamed in surprise, throwing her pen out of her hand.  
  
"Oh, it's just you, Tomoyo." Sakura sighed a sigh of relief. "What are you writing about?" Tomoyo asked. "Oh, just in my diary. I always write in my diary everyday. It's the only decent birthday present I got from the orphanage. It's not fair. They gave all the good toys to their favorite kids, not to the other ones, whether they were good or not." she said, sighing. "But I got this on my birthday this year and I've been writing in it ever since." she said, hugging it close.   
  
"Can I take a look at it?" Tomoyo asked. "Well...um...sure." Sakura said in a voice that sounded like she had a hard time deciding. She gave Tomoyo the book, but instead of reading some pages, she just looked through the pages, scanning them. "You've wrote a lot. That's good for school!" Tomoyo said. She handed it back. "Thanks, but I'm not good at writing." Sakura said, rubbing her hand behind her neck. "Don't worry. When you practice a lot, you'll get the hang of it." Tomoyo said encouragingly. "Thanks." Sakura said. "Well, I better get to bed, or I'll fall asleep in school tomorrow." Tomoyo said with a smile on her face. "Good-night." Tomoyo said. "Good-night!" Sakura said cheerfully. Tomoyo closed the door and went to her room.  
  
(20 minutes later)  
  
Sonomi went to check up on Sakura and Tomoyo and found Tomoyo asleep. She went to Sakura's room and saw her writing in a book, which was, of course, her diary. When Sonomi entered the room Sakura looked up, a bit startled, and saw Sonomi.   
  
"Hello, Mrs.Daidouji." Sakura said. "No, no. You can call me aunt if you want. Although Nadeshiko was just a cousin and my best friend, she was like a sister to me." Sonomi said. "Oh, all right. If you want me to." Sakura said. "What are you writing?" Sonomi asked. "Well, I'm just writing in my diary." Sakura said. "Oh, that's good of you. When have you started it?" "Since I got it from the orphanage as a birthday present. It's the best thing they've ever given to me." Sakura said.   
  
"Well, Tomoyo and I will see to it that you're happy here. I'm sure Tomoyo would think of you more as a sister than a friend and a 2nd cousin." Sonomi said. "You'd better get to sleep, or you'll be tired tomorrow." Sonomi said. "Okay. Good-night, aunt." Sakura said as she closed her diary locked it and went to sleep." "Good-night, Sakura." Sonomi said, as she turned off the lights and closed the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"And this is your room." Feimei said. "Uh, thanks." Touya said. "How's everything going?" Meiling said as she came up beside them. Feimei narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here? Everything's just fine without you." Feimei said. "Geez, I was just asking! You don't have to answer with a mean thing like that!" Meiling said while stomping off. Touya looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. "Don't you think you WERE to harsh?" he asked Feimei. "She's used to it. Don't worry." she said. 'I'm not quite sure..." Touya thought. "Night." Feimei said as she winked and walked to her room. 'She's creepy...' Touya thought.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Sakura yawned as she got up. She washed up, dressed and then she went downstairs and saw Sonomi reading the paper. "Where's Tomoyo?" Sakura asked. Sonomi looked up. "Oh! You're up! Tomoyo went to school." she said. "Oh." Sakura said.  
  
She sat down on the kitchen table. "Um...uh...Mrs. Daidouji..." Sakura started off. "I mean, Aunt Sonomi, when are we going to go register me into my new school?" she asked. Sonomi smiled.  
  
"After you eat your breakfast. Here." Sonomi handed Sakura a plate with her breakfast. "Thank you! It looks delicious!" Sakura exclaimed. "Thank you! Just eat up and we'll go." she said. Sakura started eating.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"HELLOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" a familiar voice rang out. 'Better not be the damn orphan teens again.' Touya thought. 'Wait, I'm at the Li mansion. Okay, now I remember.' he thought. "Open up!!!!" Feimei said in a sing-songy voice. "Come on sleepyhead!" she said. "Okay! Shut up! I'm up already!!!" Touya said. "That's great honey!" Feimei said.   
  
She opened the door. "GET OUT!!!" Touya yelled. "Hurry up and get ready!" she said. 'Okay, this girl is so annoying!' Touya thought. She closed the door. Touya's vein was popping by now. He sighed and got out of bed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"HOE??? This is the school I'm going to?!?!" Sakura exclaimed as she gaped at the huge building.   
  
"It's a school for rich people. The Li children attend this school too. Your brother will most likely attend the high school just over there along with Li's older sister." Sonomi pointed to another huge school a few buildings a way from Sakura's elementary school.  
  
His school was very big too. "Aunt Sonomi...why are you doing this for me?" Sakura asked, feeling very guilty.  
  
"I loved your mother very much (A/N: Remember what I said? Sonomi loved Sakura's mother as a SISTER. Got it? Okay, I'll get on with it.) and I'd do anything that would make her and her family happy." she said.  
  
"Plus you don't have to feel guilty." Sonomi said. "Why?" Sakura asked sadly. "I'm adopting you." Sonomi said.  
  
Sakura felt amazed, light-headed and extremely happy at the same time. She hugged Sonomi. "Really?!?! I'll be a great daughter to you!!!" Sakura said enthusiastically.  
  
Sonomi hugged her back. "I'm glad you like the idea." she said, smiling as joyful tears slid down her cheeks.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Touya came downstairs. He saw a group of elderly people that looked very important.   
  
"The elders are here." Mrs. Li said. "Kinomoto, we have something to tell you." the head of the group said.   
  
Touya sat down to listen. "You may not be family, but you will be part of the Li clan." the head elder said.  
  
"What??? I don't even have magical powers and your asking me to be part of the most powerful magical clan in the world?" he exclaimed.   
  
"Listen. Do you know about Clow Reed?" the head elder asked. "Yeah, my father taught me about him." Touya answered.  
  
"When Clow Reed died, he reincarnated into two people, one is a little boy we know as Eriol Hiiragizawa and the other is your father." the elder said.  
  
Touya froze. "My father...half of the famous Clow Reed? SHUT UP!" Touya said. (A/N: Do any of you recall this scene? Oh well, if you don't, does it seem familiar to a certain scene in the movie "The Princess Diaries"?) Mrs. Li tried to muffle a laugh.  
  
Now it was the elder's turn to freeze. "I beg your pardon!" he said, his voice surprised, shocked, and insulted.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. You mean I'm the son of Clow Reed's half???" he asked.  
  
"Yes and we want you to be part of the Li clan. We'll teach you magic and train you to be the very best you can be. We can even teach you Martial Arts." the elder said.  
  
Touya smiled. Now this is what he called a life. Training and trying to be the best that you can be. Other than that annoying Feimei girl, life would good.  
  
"Do you accept?" the elder asked. "Sure!" Touya said enthusiastically. "That's great. You seem to have lots of talent." the elder said. Touya smiled and said "Thank you sir."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Sakura was feeling really happy. She's going into the school where all her new friends were going and someone finally adopted her. But something was nagging her deep inside.  
  
"I wonder what would happen to Big Brother?" she said to herself. "I'm part of the Li clan." a voice said.  
  
Sakura turned around and saw Touya. "You're what?" Sakura asked.  
  
"I'm part of the Li clan." Touya repeated. "Really?" Sakura asked. "Did you know Tomoyo's mother was our mother's cousin?" she asked, while at the same time Touya asked, "Did you know our father was the half reincarnation of Clow Reed?"  
  
The two stood there shocked, absorbing what the other said. "REALLY?!?!" both of the said at the same time and then they both nodded at the same time.  
  
"Aunt Sonomi adopted me." Sakura said. "But I'm part of the Li clan." Touya said.   
  
Touya sighed. "It's alright. We're still brother and sister by heart, right?" he asked. Sakura nodded and hugged her brother. "I think we'll like our new life." Sakura said. Touya nodded in agreement.   
  
"Oh so you're Touya!" a voice exclaimed. "Aunt Sonomi!" Sakura shouted happily. Sonomi hugged Touya and Touya hugged her back.  
  
"I remember you!" Touya said. "And you've grown so much!" Sonomi said, tears of happiness in her eyes. "I hear you're part of the Li clan now." Sonomi said. Touya nodded his head. "Well, still consider you family." Sonomi said. Touya nodded.   
  
Sakura smiled. Life was finally moving to the bright side. But what she didn't know was how her love life would go.  
  
A/N: Okay, so that was a boring chapter, but it's necessary, right? Okay, Sonomi adopted Sakura, but why is she still calling her "Aunt Sonomi"? Don't you think that Sakura would be more comfortable calling her that? I'd think so. I'm done with this chapter, finally and I'm sorry about the delay! Lovey dovey stuff should start next chapter, ok? Happy New Year people, although it's not the New Year yet, and I hope you people had a great Christmas! 'Til next chapter! 


	4. The Problems Begin

Learning To Love and Learning From Love  
  
A/N: THANK YOU!!! I never knew that this fic would get over 20 reviews and it got over 30! THANK YOU!!! Now this is where some of the relationships will start! Yup, at least a little bit of S+S moments will be in this chapter! Ok, so on with the fic! Please enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Have I been forgetting this? Well, sorry if I have, but this is too painful to say! I-I d-do n-not o-own CCS. *trembling voice* Ok, I said it. Now please leave me alone!  
  
"..." = Speech  
'...' = Thoughts  
~*~ = Scene change  
~...~ = POV change   
  
Chapter 4: The Problems Begin  
  
Sakura woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. She groaned, reached out her hand and turned off her alarm clock. She sighed happily and went back to sleep. 'I've never felt this good in the morning before. Where am I?' she asked herself, confused. 'Oh yeah, I'm living at Tomoyo's house now and we're going to do fun stuff together with the Li children and big brother.' Sakura thought happily, giggling that kawaii little giggle Sakura does when she's happy, but then a thought struck her.  
  
What time am I supposed to wake up? She looked up at the clock and sighed a sigh of relief. "It's only 5 minutes past the time I'm supposed to wake up." she said to herself. "Good morning Sakura! I'm glad you're awake!" a sweet voice said from the doorway.  
  
"HOEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Sakura shouted and hid under the covers. "A ghost!!! Please don't take me!" Sakura pleaded from under the blanket. Tomoyo was confused at first then smiled. "It's alright Sakura! I'm not a ghost. It's just me, Tomoyo!" Tomoyo said, her voice cheerful as usual.   
  
Sakura sat up and took the blanket off her. "Oh, I'm so sorry Tomoyo! You just scared me!" Sakura said and studied Tomoyo. "Tomoyo, you're dressed already?" Sakura asked, surprised. "Yes, I wake up early all the time!" Tomoyo said and handed Sakura an outfit.  
  
"Hoe?" Sakura said in confusion looking at the outfit. "I want you to wear it. You'll look absolutely kawaii in the outfit!" Tomoyo said holding up the outfit. "Kawaii?" Sakura asked confused. "Aren't you Japanese?" Tomoyo asked, looking at Sakura. "I am, but I don't know any Japanese. I've lived here in China all my life, I guess." Sakura said, a distant look in her eyes. "Well, I used to live in Japan and I'm Japanese so I speak. Kawaii means cute." Tomoyo said. Sakura nodded in understandment. "Wait! I'm not cute at all! And the outfit is very cute but it won't make me look cute!" Sakura said, sweatdropping. "No, you'll look very kawaii! Here, just where it." Tomoyo said, handing it to Sakura.  
  
It was very cute with a white mini skirt and a cute pink top. "It's very kawaii and I love pink and white, but I can't accept it." Sakura said, studying it. "I made it for you, Sakura!" Tomoyo said, smiling. "Y-You made it?!?!" Sakura exclaimed staring at the perfectly made outfit. "Yes, I also made outfits for Syaoran and Meiling." Tomoyo said holding up two more outfits.  
  
Sakura sweatdropped. "You sure are very kind, making clothes for your friends!" Sakura exclaimed, finding Syaoran and Meiling's clothes very well-made too. "I'm just repaying for being such great friends." Tomoyo said. "And you better get ready. I'm going to the Li mansion and I'll be back with Meiling, Syaoran, your brother, and..." Tomoyo trailed off, hate in her eyes.  
  
"And?" Sakura asked, confused on Tomoyo's sudden change. "Well, this girl named Fang-Fei Iowa. She's..." Tomoyo trailed off again, now sadness mixing in with the hate.  
  
"Hoe? What?" Sakura asked, concerned about Tomoyo. "...Syaoran's fiancé." Tomoyo said, sadness in her voice which Sakura failed to hear. For some reason, pain shot her heart.   
  
"Oh, I see. I'll go get ready now." Sakura said, trying to get off subject quickly. "Ok. See you in a while! Bye!" Tomoyo said, very glad to get off subject. Sakura's smile returned. "Ok, bye!" Sakura said then went into the bathroom to get washed up.  
  
~*~  
  
~Tomoyo's POV~  
  
I can't help but feel sad. Syaoran is engaged to a brat and he's not happy at all. If he's not happy at all... then I'm not happy at all. Yes, I love Syaoran, but it's ok. I'm happy as long he's happy.  
  
About Sakura... she a bit sad when I said Syaoran has a fiancé. Maybe she's falling for him... but that's impossible. She only met him once... or maybe they're destined? I know I'm not destined for Syaoran, and that's ok... but it still tears my heart apart.  
  
I'll never find my own soulmate, I know that. Oh look, I've reached the Li mansion. It sure is huge. Something catches my eye. Syaoran was training. I just love watching him train. Good thing I brought my video camera.  
  
He was sword training with Meiling. They're both really good with a sword but I just love watching Syaoran. I wish I could give him battle costumes to wear but he has to wear his traditional one. Well, anyhow, he looks great in that too. Sometimes it's hard hiding my feelings for him. But nobody knows I do. I don't think Meiling even knows, and of course Syaoran himself doesn't know. He's kinda dense, but that just makes him seem even better.  
  
"You're doing great Syaoran! Keep it going!" I shouted, my video camera held up to my eye. Syaoran and Meiling looked to me and sweatdropped. "Oh, good morning Tomoyo!" I heard Mrs. Li call out to me. "Good morning Mrs. Li!" I called out cheerfully, bowing at her.   
  
"Meiling and Syaoran should be done in about five minutes. Then they can go with you." Mrs. Li said. I nodded my head. "Thank you Mrs. Li." I said. "Ok, then I'll see you later Tomoyo." Mrs. Li said, turning to leave. "Good-bye Mrs. Li." I said, turning back to videotape Syaoran.   
  
~Yelan's POV~  
  
Tomoyo is such a sweet girl. She's in love with Syaoran yet she doesn't fuss that he's engaged to someone. Yes, I know that Tomoyo loves Syaoran. I also do know that Syaoran's destiny is not with Fang-Fei. It's with somebody else. Meiling had once asked if I thought Syaoran was happy with Fang-Fei. I said yes, but I know he's not happy at all. Destiny just has to turn up at the right time.  
  
The elders insist that we engage Syaoran to Fang-Fei. They'll soon know that she's not his destiny. I can't tell Tomoyo that I know she loves my son. It'll probably hurt her, and I don't want to hurt her. She's like a daughter to me. But she has a destined one for sure, I know it.  
  
"I'M HERE SYAORAN DARLING!!!!" a loud voice rang out. It was Fang-Fei and I can see the hate and emotion burning in Tomoyo's eyes. She still had a smile on her face but it was fake.  
  
"Good morning Iowa." Tomoyo greeted, plastering an all-too-sweet, fake smile on her face. "Whatever!" Fang-Fei said, ignoring Tomoyo's greeting and running off to Syaoran. She is my niece, but she really is rude.  
  
"Fang-Fei, Syaoran and Meilng still have to train for a few more minutes." I said sternly. "Awwwww, but I want to see Syaoran!" Fang-Fei whined as she eyed Syaoran and put on her puppy dog eyes. I would never ever fall for those. I'm not stupid.  
  
"No." I repeat again, my voice very firm. Fang-Fei gave up and pouted. Just then Syaoran and Meiling stopped and bowed to each other and caught sight of Tomoyo. "Tomoyo!" Meiling shouted waving at Tomoyo and Syaoran just smiled and waved. Smiled? That's strange... he usually doesn't smile, but then again, his smile immediately turned into a frown at the sight of Fang-Fei.  
  
"Why is she here?" Syaoran muttered, trying to hide the fact that he is very annoyed from Fang-Fei. I'm proud of him, but I don't see why the elders would think he belongs with Fang-Fei.   
  
"Well, I'm coming along with you to meet those new people and have fun!" Fang-Fei said a big smile on her face. Syaoran sighed. "Fine. Just don't be rude." Syaoran said, looking at Fang-Fei with an 'I'm warning you' look.  
  
"But if they're bothering you Syaoran or threatening our perfect relationship together, I'll have to do something!" Fang-Fei exclaimed, clenching her fist, a sign on her part of how stubborn and determined she can be. Syaoran sighed again. "Look, they won't so there won't be a reason to be." he said. "Yeah!" Meiling joined in. "They're nice people, except the guy's a bit pissy." she said, looking around so that she can make sure Touya's not around.  
  
Tomoyo giggled. "Come on. I'm sure Sakura's patiently waiting for us. Oh, and where's her big brother?" Tomoyo asked looking around. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" came a loud shout from behind the house. Touya appeared running away from Feimei. (A/N: Reminds you of Nakuru, ne?)  
  
She was trying to hold on to Touya. It was an amusing sight, but very embarrassing too. "Feimei, that's rude! Stop acting childish this instant!" I said, crossing my arms. Feimei immediately stopped.  
  
"Sorry mother." she said, bowing her head a little. "Don't do it again." I said sternly. She nodded. Meiling was tapping her feet and by the looks of her, getting impatient. "Can we go now?" she said sighing. "You have to learn to be patient!" Fang-Fei said, smirking at Meiling. Meiling scowled.  
  
"You have to learn to be patient." she said under her breath. "What did you say?!?!" Fang-Fei yelled, getting into a fighting stance. "You heard me!" Meiling responded getting into a fighting stance to. "Enough!" I said, and Fang-Fei and Meiling got out of the stance but continued glaring.   
  
"Come on! Let's just go!" Syaoran said and he grabbed Tomoyo and Meiling's hand and dragged them out of the garden where all of us were standing. Little did he notice that Tomoyo was smiling with pleasure. "Bye mother." Syaoran and Meiling said. Tomoyo stopped, turned around and bowed. "Bye Mrs. Li." she said and I smiled at her. Fang-Fei fumed.  
  
"SYAORAN! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GRAB MY HAND!!!" she said shouting. Syaoran just ignored her. "Good-bye Mrs. Li." Touya said and ran after them. "HEY!!! AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO GO WITH ME TOO?" Feimei shouted after him and sighed and went into the house with me following.  
  
~Normal POV~  
  
"Where can they be?" Sakura asked herself, pacing around in front of the door. She felt very awkward wearing rich clothes while she had wore poor, rag clothes since she was four.   
  
The front door suddenly opened. "HOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Sakura screamed for the second time that day, both times, because of a door. Servants dashed in, Sonomi scrambled to the room and the people outside looked in to see what had happened.   
  
"Sakura? Are you alright?" Touya, Tomoyo, and Sonomi asked at the same time. Sakura shakily nodded her head. "I'm fine. It was just the door opening that surprised me. I'm sorry." Sakura said, looking embarrassed, scared, and ashamed at the same time.  
  
"No, it's ok. I'm just glad you're alright." Sonomi said, giving her a reassuring smile and left. The servants all gave her reassuring smiles too and left as well.   
  
"You ok?" Meiling asked. "Y-Yeah." Sakura said, still trembling a bit. Syaoran grunted and held out his hand towards Sakura. "Hoe?" Sakura said, confused as she just stared at the hand outstretched in front of her.   
  
Tomoyo giggled. "Sakura, he wants to help you up!" Tomoyo said, as she smiled. "Oh." Sakura said, feeling really stupid and grabbed onto Syaoran's hand. As soon as her hand went into his, she felt slightly light-headed and had a little feeling inside that felt wonderful. That left her with a bit of a dazed and dreamy look.  
  
"What are you? A fraidy cat?" Fang-Fei asked, visibly jealous that Syaoran had helped Sakura up. Sakura was still a bit dazed, causing her sense of hearing to go out for a little.   
  
"Hello?!" Fang-Fei said, glaring at Sakura. The others sweatdropped. Fang-Fei started to wave her hands in front of her face. "Hoe?" Sakura said, blinking quickly as she realized that she had been... um... daydreaming. "S-Sorry! What were you saying?" Sakura said, blushing from embarrassment.  
  
Fang-Fei sighed with annoyance and said "Are you a fraidy cat?" Sakura sweatdropped and started giggling nervously. "No, she's a mon-" Touya started but was cut off by Sakura who kicked him really hard and her vein was popping. Everybody sweatdropped.  
  
Then Meiling started laughing - hard. Everyone stared at her, Sakura with a look of confusion and Touya with an annoyed look. "What's so funny?" Touya asked, giving Meiling one of his annoyed looks. Meiling tried to slow down her laughter.  
  
"Well you see, me and Syaoran never fight like that and it seems pretty sweet and funny for you two to fight like that." Meiling said, in between laughs. Everyone blinked and Meiling sweatdropped.  
  
"Sweet?" Touya asked, his eyebrow raised. "Funny?" Syaoran asked, looking at her strangely. Meiling sweatdropped even more and held up her hands. "No, just ignore me! I'm a weird person so just don't mind me!" she said.   
  
"Yeah, she's way too strange." Fang-Fei said, smirking toward Meiling. "WHAT???" Meiling exclaimed looking towards Fang-Fei. "You heard me." Fang-Fei said, her look turning serious. "You'll regret that you even said that." Meiling said dangerously, getting into a fighting stance.  
  
"Fang-Fei, I'm warning you." Syaoran said, making Fang-Fei stop immediately. "Fine." she said, glaring at Meiling who glared back.   
  
"Do they always fight like that?" Sakura said, sweatdropping. "Yeah." Syaoran and Tomoyo said in unison. "Oh." Sakura said, and looked at Touya, who looked like he was holding his breath. "Hoe? Big brother?" Sakura asked in confusion.  
  
"Huh?" Touya asked, looking at Sakura, realizing that he had been holding his breath. "Are you ok?" Sakura asked, concerned for her brother. "Yeah." Touya said, wondering why he had been holding his breath and more importantly, was he worried about Meiling? "Is something the matter?" Sakura asked. "Oh, it's nothing." Touya answered, converting his gaze from the two glaring girls.   
  
Sakura shrugged and turned toward Syaoran and Tomoyo. "Come on! Let's go do something!" Sakura said cheerfully to them. Tomoyo smiled and nodded.   
  
"Let's go get ice cream! I'll share with Syaoran!" Fang-Fei yelled, hugging Syaoran. Everyone sweatdropped. "Let's just go." Syaoran said, pulling himself away from Fang-Fei and walking ahead.   
  
"Syaoran, wait up!" Fang-Fei and Tomoyo said, one of them saying it anxiously and the other cheerfully. Sakura just smiled and walked beside her brother. Meiling eyed Touya a bit amusedly. "What?" Touya asked, noticing her gaze, which made him a bit nervous.   
  
"Aren't you a bit old to be hanging with us?" Meiling asked, smiling amusedly. Touya stopped and glared at Meiling. Sakura sweatdropped. "Fine. I'll go if you want." Touya said, turning around and walking away from them. "No! I didn't mean it that way!" Meiling said, running after him.   
  
Sakura stopped her and shook her head. "I'm sorry." Meiling said, feeling very bad. "No, it's ok. You didn't know that my brother had a stubborn attitude." Sakura said, smiling at Meiling to show that it was ok. "I should have known that he has a stubborn attitude." Meiling said, tears threatening to come out, fortunately for Meiling unnoticed by Sakura.  
  
"Come on." Sakura said, pulling Meiling by the wrist. "My big brother doesn't stay mad for long." Sakura said in a reassuring voice. Meiling sadly nodded and followed Sakura.  
  
"Sakura, Meiling! Come on!" Tomoyo shouted to them, waving her hand. "Ok!" Sakura yelled to her and grabbed Meiling's hand. "Shall we?" Sakura asked, making Meiling smiled and nod. The two ran to Syaoran and Tomoyo.  
  
"Where's your brother?" Tomoyo asked in confusion. "Well..." Sakura started, but saw Meiling who saddened. "I... accidentally said something that made him mad so he left." Meiling admitted, looking at the ground. "So you've managed to scare even more people away. I'm surprised that you actually feel bad." Fang-Fei sneered to Meiling who looked up in anger.  
  
"I'm not putting up with you anymore! You bitch!" Meiling yelled in Fang-Fei's face. "HOE!!!" Sakura gasped as Syaoran just rubbed his forehead sighing and Tomoyo had a worried face.  
  
"You dare call me a bitch!" Fang-Fei said, glaring at Meiling who glared daggars back at her. "Just stop it you two." Syaoran said, rubbing his forehead. "Fine." Meiling and Fang-Fei said, still glaring.  
  
"Ok." Syaoran said and started walking toward the parlor. But what Syaoran couldn't figure out was why couldn't he stop staring at Sakura? Sakura couldn't stop staring at him and unfortunately Fang-Fei noticed. She looked back in forth between the two and held onto Syaoran.   
  
"Fang-Fei, what are you doing?" Syaoran asked, looking at Fang-Fei with a confused and annoyed face. "Oh, I just don't want to lose you Syaoran." Fang-Fei said, her eyes softening. Syaoran, noticing the change, shook his head and didn't ask anymore.  
  
~Tomoyo's POV~  
  
Ok, so I guess Fang-Fei does have a soft spot. I can't believe I didn't realize until now! She doesn't want to lose him. That's why she's so mean to any girl, although she doesn't have a real reason to be so mean to Meiling.   
  
We entered the parlor and pretty quickly too. "I'll get the ice cream." Syaoran and Meiling said. "I'll go too." I said. I know Syaoran will never be mine but I can't help but try to spend as much time with him as possible. "What do you want?" I asked Sakura who smiled back and said "I want strawberry!" As usual, Fang-Fei told Syaoran she wanted vanilla. We went off to get the ice cream. Strangely, Fang-Fei didn't want to come with us...   
  
~Normal POV~  
  
"What's your name?" Fang-Fei said, glaring at Sakura. "S-Sakura Kinomoto." Sakura said nervously. "H-How about yours?" she asked, trying to make a friendlier atmosphere. "Fang-Fei Iowa, but listen Kinomoto!" she said, giving Sakura a death glare. "H-Hoe?" Sakura said, looking at her with confusion.   
  
"Don't go near my Syaoran." she said in a dangerous voice. "Huh?" Sakura asked, confused. "You heard me!" Fang-Fei yelled, catching some attention from nearby tables. "I don't know what you mean!" Sakura said, holding up her hands in defense. Fang-Fei sighed and said "You'll know soon." That left Sakura in total confusion.  
  
Meiling, Syaoran, and Tomoyo came back, all holding ice cream cones and handed the ice cream to them. "Thanks!" Sakura said, and started happily eating her ice cream.  
  
"Thank you Syaoran!" Fang-Fei said, giving him a hug that almost made him drop his cone.   
  
~Syaoran's POV~  
  
I sat down and started on my ice cream but I couldn't help but notice Kinomoto's purity and innocence. That almost made her seem cute, what the heck am I saying? I must be having a bad day.  
  
"Do you know what?" Meiling asked, pulling me back to reality. Everyone looked up. "We never got a proper introduction." Meiling said. Tomoyo giggled. "She already knows me." Tomoyo said, smiling.  
  
"Meiling Li, nice to meet you!" Meiling said and shook Sakura's hand. "Already got introduced." Fang-Fei said in a grumpy voice. "Fang-Fei..." I said with a warning look. "Fine, Fang-Fei Iowa." Fang-Fei said, not extending her hand. I just let that go.  
  
"Syaoran Li." I said, reluctantly reaching my hand out. Sakura touched it and a bit of electricity went through me, painful but wonderful at the same time. I actually blushed, but nobody noticed, fortunately.  
  
We finished our ice cream and got up to leave.  
  
~Normal POV~  
  
"That was fun!" Sakura said, stretching herself. "It was only ice cream." Fang-Fei said causing Sakura to sweatdrop. "Well, it still was." she said, still sweatdropping.  
  
They reached the Li Mansion and Syaoran, Meiling, and Fang-Fei turned to go in. "That was good, wasn't it Syaoran?" Tomoyo asked and Syaoran gave her a smile which made her fill with happiness. "Yeah, that was. Don't think that just because I don't smile often or anything make you think that I don't love you. You're my best friend, of course I love you." Syaoran said, smiling at her, which made her almost melt. "I love you too Syaoran." she said, smiling a big smile.  
  
Syaoran nodded and Meiling gave a good-bye hug to Tomoyo and Sakura. "Bye! See you tomorrow at school!" Meiling said. "HOE? SCHOOL???" Sakura asked. "Yes, aren't you excited?" Tomoyo asked. "Yeah... I guess." Sakura said and turned to leave with Tomoyo. Sakura turned around to wave at Syaoran who just mumbled a good-bye.  
  
"Hoe?" Sakura said. "He doesn't open up to people much, but he's a good person." Tomoyo said. Sakura nodded her head and began to walk home with Tomoyo. "I love you Syaoran. More than you can ever imagine." Tomoyo whispered. "What?" Sakura asked, looking at Tomoyo. "Oh, it's nothing." Tomoyo said continuing to walk, while tears threatened to come out.  
  
~*~  
  
"We're home!" Meiling shouted and she saw Touya who was cooking food. 'I didn't know he cooked.' Meiling thought and went up to Touya. "I'm sorry." Meiling said, but Touya just ignored her and continued. Her eyes filled with hurt and decided to go up to her room.  
  
'I'll get him to forgive me. Even if it's the last thing I do...' Meiling thought as she climbed the stairs.  
  
End of chapter  
  
A/N: So how did you like it? Bad, huh? Oh well, I'll never be a good writer! I made Tomoyo in love with Syaoran! I'm evil, huh? But then again, this WILL be an E+T too! And why is Meiling so determined to get Touya's forgiveness? I guess a little love is blooming, ne? Well, I hope you review, pretty please! The reviews for this fic are making me really happy and more reviews would make me even more happier!!! Please review! 'Til next chapter! 


	5. First Day of School

Learning To Love and Learning From Love  
  
A/N: THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE ALL THE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe that I get reviews so quickly for this fic!!! I did get some complaints that chapters come out really late ^_^; and I'm sorry about that!!! Now, I've got to make a thank you list!   
  
lil dreamer: Thanks for reviewing! I'll go on with this fic, and I don't think I'll wanna kill a character ^_^; but don't worry. It'll be S+S, not Fang-Fei+Syaoran!  
  
Jurei: Wow, my fic is sugoi? I never thought so! Thanks for the encouragement! And I'll try to get the chapters out more quickly!   
  
iii_sis: Ok, this is chapter 5! Thanks for reviewing and enjoy!  
  
Sylvia: Thanks for the compliment! Thanks for the review!  
  
Silver: Thanks for the names! I'll keep that in mind. Please continue to R+R!  
  
SAKURA LOVER: Arigato gozaimos for the wonderful review! I'll tell you whenever this fic is updated!  
  
nameless: Sorry! I'll try to get chapters out sooner!  
  
I LIKE TO WRITE IN CAPS: Thanks for reviewing! I loved your review! Please continue reviewing!!!  
  
Sakura_Angel: I know I'm evil for making Tomoyo love Syaoran :P But OF COURSE IT'LL BE S+S AND E+T!!! How could I ever write a Syaoran+Tomoyo? That would be very hard for me to do... anyways, thanks for reviewing!  
  
sahmandah: ^_^; A lot of people are calling Fang-Fei a bitch! Oh well, I guess that's just the way people think! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
KaWAii-GUrl: Thanks very much for reviewing! I'll try to update the chapters as soon as possible!  
  
And thank you to all the people who reviewed the earlier chapters! Every little review makes me happy! Except flames... but who likes flames? Oh, and please go easy on flames! Please R+R and as usual, enjoy!  
  
~*~ = Scene/time change  
*...* = Actions  
~...~ = POV change  
"..." = Speaking  
'...' = Thoughts  
  
Chapter 5: First Day of School  
  
Touya got out of his room, dressed in a uniform and was suddenly attacked by somebody. "RISE AND SHINE!!!" Feimei shouted as Touya gasped for air. "Get *gasp* off of *gasp* me!" Touya choked as Feimei hung onto him tightly. "Fine... I know! I'll go see if Syaoran's awake!" Feimei shouted as she let go of Touya and ran to Syaoran's room to torture him.  
  
Touya sighed a sigh of relief and rubbed the back of his neck. She has a strong grip - a really strong grip. Touya went down to see if anybody else was up and if he could get some breakfast.  
  
He went down and was surprised to see that the table was set with food for everybody and Yelan was patiently waiting for everyone to come down. "Did you set the table?" Touya asked Yelan as he took a seat. "No, actually Meiling did." Yelan said, smiling. "You mean that girl? Does she always?" Touya asked, his mood darkening a bit at the mention of her name.  
  
"Actually, this is the first time she's done it. It's usually Feimei or me that does it." Yelan said. "Oh..." Touya responded, looking around for Meiling. "I'll just see her in the kitchen." he said and walked into the kitchen and saw Meiling washing some dishes. "Hey... kid." Touya said, causing her to turn around. 'Did he just call me kid?' she thought, a bit annoyed, but ignored it.   
  
'Oh yeah! The lunch!' she thought as she grabbed a neatly wrapped lunch box. "Oh! Here!" she stuttered as she handed him the box. 'Where did the stuttering come from?' Meiling thought, a bit embarrassed. "Hm, what's this?" Touya asked, staring at the lunch box in confusion.   
  
Meiling took a deep breath. 'Steady girl...' she thought to herself. "I'm sorry." she said quietly, looking down at the floor. Touya blinked at the sight in front of him. A girl who was supposed to have lots of pride and a big ego made a lunch for him to apologize. He couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Thanks kid." he said as he put his hand on Meiling's hand. To her own surprise, Meiling blushed. 'What the heck!!! I feel all hot! What's happening?' Meiling thought to herself. "Hey kid, are you ok? You look like you have a fever." Touya said, looking at her with concern. "I'm fine." Meiling said and ignored her speeding heart.  
  
"Shall we go eat?" Meiling asked and Touya nodded his head. They walked to the dining room and found a hyper Feimei and a grumpy Syaoran.   
  
"What's with you?" Meiling asked looking at Syaoran. "Feimei woke me up by pouring ice cold water on me." Syaoran said glaring at Feimei. Feimei just smiled innocently. "I was just making an effort to not let my little brother be late for school." she said in a way too sweet voice.   
  
Touya snorted and Meiling rolled her eyes. Her sister could be so strange at times. They sat down and ate their breakfast. "Meiling?" Yelan said, making Meiling look up from her food. "Why did you wake up so early in the morning to make breakfast and a certain somebody's lunch?" Yelan asked, smiling mischieviously in a way. Meiling blushed but shook it off before anybody could notice.  
  
"I-I um, I felt especially good today, so I decided to make breakfast for everyone! Hehehe..." Meiling giggled nervously, getting strange looks from her family except Yelan. "Never mind." Meiling mumbled and finished eating.   
  
"I'm leaving now." Meiling said and rose from her seat, holding her plate to return it to the sink. "Me too." Syaoran said and rose from his seat holding his plate to take to the sink. Meiling and Syaoran got their backpacks, said their good-byes and was off.   
  
"Let's walk to school together, k?" Feimei said, smiling at Touya. Touya gulped, got up from thet table, bowed to Yelan, put his plate back, grabbed his schoolbag and ran out the door all in 20 seconds. Feimei blinked, staring at the door and just realized what had happened.  
  
"Good-bye mother!" she shouted as she did everything and ran out the door. Yelan shook her head smiling. "Kids..." she said under her breath and got out of her seat.  
  
~*~  
  
"Sakura, do you know what homeroom your in?" Tomoyo asked Sakura as they were walking to school. "I think it was somebody named Mr. Terada..." Sakura said, her eyes focusing to remember the name. "That's wonderful! You're in my class along with Syaoran and Meiling!" Tomoyo said, clasping her hands together. "That's great!" Sakura said smiling.  
  
"Oh and..." Tomoyo began frowning. "What?" Sakura asked in confusion, not liking Tomoyo's expression a bit. "You remember Fang-Fei Iowa, right? Well, she's in our class as well." Tomoyo said, making Sakura sweatdrop. "HOEE!!!" Sakura yelled. She did not want to be in a classroom with somebody who absolutely loathes her. Including the fact that she'll be stuck in that classroom for the whole year until summer. (A/N: Yes, I know Hong Kong probably has different school and vacation times, but I don't know them, so I'm just going to follow the American standards.)  
  
"But I don't think she likes me very much!" Sakura said, looking a bit frightened in a way. Tomoyo stared at Sakura, wondering why Fang-Fei would hate Sakura so much. Then it hit her. Tomoyo's been noticing it too. 'It's because Sakura seems like she has a crush on Syaoran.' Tomoyo thought, staring at Sakura in disbelief.  
  
"What? Is something the matter?" Sakura asked Tomoyo, confused. "Oh, it's nothing." Tomoyo said, plastering on a fake smile so she wouldn't make Sakura worried.   
  
Sakura smiled in relief and spotted the school. "Here we are!" Tomoyo announced to Sakura. "Hoe! It seems bigger than when I first saw it!" Sakura exclaimed, gaping at the school yet again. Tomoyo gave a little giggle. "Shall we go in?" Tomoyo asked.   
  
"Mmhm." Sakura answered smiling and the two girls entered the school. They went up several flights of stairs and stopped in front of a door leading to their classroom. Tomoyo slid the door open and the two walked in to find that Syaoran, Meiling and Fang-Fei were already there and Fang-Fei was annoying Syaoran like nuts.  
  
"Good morning!" Tomoyo and Sakura said cheerfully as they made their way to them. "Good morning!" Meiling responded cheerfully. Fang-Fei didn't reply due to the fact that she didn't like Sakura and Syaoran didn't reply due to the fact that he was being strangled to death.   
  
Everyone sweatdropped. "Fang-Fei please let go of me!" Syaoran gasped through her tight hold. "Syaoran! If we're going to get married, you have to get used to this!" Fang-Fei whined while everyone sweatdropped more except Tomoyo. She had a bit of jealousy written on her face.  
  
"Good morning Syaoran!" Tomoyo said to him. "Morning Tomoyo." he responded, trying to get Fang-Fei off his neck. "Good morning class." a man with reddish-brown hair and a deep voice whom Sakura assumed was the teacher came in.  
  
"Good morning." the class said in unison. "We have a new student here today, but I can't seem to find her." the teacher said, looking around the room. Everyone looked at the unfamiliar girl with short honey-brown hair.   
  
"Hoe..." Sakura said nervously sweatdropping and Meiling tapped her shoulder. Sakura looked at her. "Go to the front of the room." Meiling explained, pointing to the part of the room where the teacher was standing. "Oops, ok." Sakura said and walked up to the teacher. That earned her a few snickers from the class. Sakura sweatdropped more. 'Hoee...' Sakura thought as she stopped next to the teacher.  
  
"This is Kinomoto Sakura. Please give her a warm welcome and be nice to her." Mr. Terada said. "Yes." the class said in unison again. "Now, Kinomoto. Why don't you sit behind..." he paused and looked around for an empty seat. "Oh, why don't you sit behind Li. Li, raise your hand." Mr. Terada said. (A/N: Do you know what? This is hard. Their speaking in Cantonese since they live in Hong Kong, and I don't know anything about Cantonese. But then again, there are two Li's, Syaoran and Meiling. and how am I supposed to seperate them. In Japanese I could just say "Li-kun" for Syaoran and "Li-san" for Meiling but, this isn't Japanese is it? Sooo, what do I do? Cantonese speakers, please help me!)   
  
Syaoran raised his hand although it wasn't necessary. Sakura walked toward him and sat down in the seat behind his. "Now class, take out your history books and turn to page 258." Mr. Terada ordered walked to Sakura and handed her 4 books: math, history, Chinese, and science. "Thank you!" Sakura said and opened the history book while putting all the other books in her desk.  
  
The class dragged on for an hour and a half and Sakura found herself almost dozing off. 'This is boring. I can't wait for lunch time.' And at that very thought, the bell rang. Sakura heard sighs of relief from all over the class and figured that they mustn't have enjoyed it very much either.  
  
Meiling and Tomoyo ran up to Sakura and grabbed her hand. "Hoe?" Sakura said, confused as usual. "We'll introduce you to some people!" Meiling said excitedly as she made a gesture to Sakura saying let's go. "I'm sure you'll make many new wonderful friends!" Tomoyo exclaimed as she started pulling Sakura along. "H-Hoe..." Sakura said quietly as she sweatdropped. But she did love the idea of getting new friends.  
  
Syaoran watched as Meiling and Tomoyo as they performed the actions that make girls... just girls. Syaoran sighed, shook his head and followed them with Fang-Fei latched onto his arm.   
  
"Hey Li!" a funny sounding voice called out. Syaoran looked towards the direction his name was called. "Hi Yamazaki." Syaoran replied, not smiling as usual and continued following the girls. "Wait Li!" Takashi called out and ran up to him. "Now you've got ag pretty girl now sitting behind you!" he said, making Syaoran turn red a bit.   
  
"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!!!" Fang-Fei and Chiharu shouted at the same time and hit Takashi at the same time. "My Syaoran would never be interested in any other girl than me!" Fang-Fei said glaring daggers at Takashi. He gave a nervous smile and looked up into the face of Chiharu, who was giving him the scariest glare he had ever seen. "Don't you dare think that any girl is pretty but me! You hear?!" Chiharu said in a 'I'm-warning-you-mister' voice.   
  
Takashi gave a nervous gulp and slowly nodded. "Good." Chiharu said, her anger going down. Syaoran, red-faced, turned to go out to eat his packed lunch that Fang-Fei insisted on making. "Syaoran, you're not even going to get mad at him?!" Fang-Fei said, a bit confused on Syaoran's strange behavior. "It's a little joke." Syaoran simply answered, starting to accomplish his mission of extinguishing his blush. "Ok." Fang-Fei answered, still confused. 'No, he can't...' Fang-Fei though, looking at Syaoran with fear of eyes, picturing Syaoran together with a certain girl with emerald eyes...  
  
~*~  
  
"Li, Iowa, over here!" Sakura shouted cheerfully, waving her hand wildly from the place where she, Tomoyo and Meiling had gathered. Syaoran blushed as he saw Sakura. 'What's wrong with me?' Syaoran asked himself as he shook his head furiously to get the blush off.  
  
"Syaoran, what's wrong?" Fang-Fei asked as she looked to Syaoran. "Nothing." Syaoran answered, regaining his cold, unemotional voice. Fang-Fei's eyes saddened, noticing the voice change. "Alright then Syaoran." she said a bit sadly but to her relief, Syaoran didn't notice.  
  
As Syaoran and Fang-Fei reached the three girls, a guy with grayish hair and glasses came up to them. "Good morning!" he said as he waved to them. "Morning Yukito!" Meiling said as she gave him a hug. The guy, whose name was Yukito, was like an older brother to Meiling and Syaoran, not to mention, Yukito was also Syaoran's guardian's false form "Morning." Syaoran said, giving a small smile. "Good morning Tsukishiro." Tomoyo said, smiling her absolutely sweet smile.   
  
Sakura felt happy just looking at the guy. 'He looks really nice.' Sakura thought to herself as she smiled a huge smile. "Morning." Fang-Fei grumbled, not looking at Yukito. "Oh and this is Sakura Kinomoto!" Meiling said as she pointed towards Sakura. Sakura smiled at him. "Hello Sakura. Can I call you Sakura?" Yukito said, bending down to get in level with Sakura. "Y-Yes!" Sakura stuttered and Yukito chuckled. "Alright then Sakura." he said. (A/N: Ok, Sakura will not be in love with Yukito! Alright? Good.)  
  
Touya had seen it, but he hadn't heard or understood it. He saw Meiling hugging Yukito and he felt bad... jealous. 'NO, I am not jealous.' he thought to himself. 'Sure you aren't.' a voice in the back of his head said. Touya shook his head. This was giving him a headache.   
  
"There's a new boy in my class and I befriended him. Nakuru also seems to like him too." Yukito said cheerfully. Meiling gasped, causing everyone but Sakura to look at her. She blushed from embarrassment and shook her head. Fang-Fei giggled and turned back around, earning a glare from Meiling.  
  
'Could it be?' Sakura thought, her eyes widening to the size of plates. "Sakura, is there something wrong?" Yukito asked, noticing her bulging eyes. "No, it's nothing." Sakura said. "Oh, there he is now! Touya! Over here!" Yukito called out to Touya's direction.   
  
'It is.' Sakura thought as she watched her brother run over to them. Meiling blushed a little and looked down to the floor to avoid looking at Touya. 'Meiling, you already like somebody!' she scolded herself. (A/N: That person is a secret...)  
  
"Big brother! You made new friends?" Sakura asked as her brother reached their area. Touya nodded and noticed Meiling. "Hi kid." Touya said, smiling. Meiling looked up and smiled weakly. Touya smiled at her, taking out a lunch box. She noticed that it was the one that she made him. She blushed and looked down again.  
  
'Meiling's acting kinda strange...' Syaoran thought to himself as he watched Meiling, his eyebrows raised. "What?" Meiling asked Syaoran as she noticed him staring at her. "Nothing he said to her and turned back to eat his lunch. "Syaoran! Let me do that for you!" Fang-Fei said as she took the chopsticks from his hand to feed him. Syaoran rolled his eyes and protested. "Fang-Fei! I'm not a baby, I can feed myself!" he said, refusing to take in the food that she had gripped with the chopsticks. "Come on Syaoran!" she said as she made her sad eyes. Syaoran rolled his eyes once more but opened his mouth. No use fighting her more.  
  
Tomoyo giggled, but it was to cover up her sadness. She wished it was her that was feeding him, hanging onto him, taking care of him. Oh how it hurt inside to see the one she loved with all her heart being unhappy and being taken by another person. But as she said that as long as her loved one was happy, she was happy. But... he wasn't happy. That was killing her, little by little.   
  
"Tomoyo?" Meiling's voice broke her from her thoughts. "What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, trying to hide the big concern in his voice. He couldn't hide it from Tomoyo. She almost blushed at the fact that Syaoran worried a lot about her, but she managed to keep it from showing. "It's nothing." Tomoyo said, continuing to eat her food. Syaoran shrugged but Meiling kept staring at her. 'Something's up...' Meiling decided as she stared at Tomoyo's sad eyes.  
  
Touya couldn't help but stare at Meiling. She was really cute in that uniform of hers. A short, white mini skirt, and a black, sailor uniform top with the finishing touches of a sailor, white hat that fit on her head over her odangos perfectly. (A/N: Yeah, I stole the Tomoeda Elementary School uniform ^_^;) Meiling looked at Touya from the corner of her eyes and blushed slightly, noticing that he was staring at her. He immediately started eating, converting his gaze to the ground.  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura was oblivious to all that was going on except Syaoran. She tried to eat her food, but she couldn't stop thinking about Syaoran. 'Stop.' Sakura commanded herself, her eyebrows burrowing in frustration. "Geesh!" she shouted, causing everyone around to stare at her.   
  
"Nothing, nothing." Sakura said, giggling nervously. "Don't worry, the monster always does that." Touya said, smirking. "I'm not a monster!" Sakura shouted at her brother, stepping on his foot. Touya winced in pain and Sakura just said "Hmph." Tomoyo and Meiling giggled while Fang-Fei just smirked in amusement. Syaoran couldn't help but notice how cute Sakura was while doing that. 'Oh, just stop making yourself sound crazy.' Syaoran thought to himself.   
  
The bell soon rang for classes to start. Everyone got up to go back into class. "Tomoyo, Meiling?" Sakura started as she caused Tomoyo and Meiling to look at her. "Weren't you going to introduce me to some new people?" Sakura asked, confused. "Oh yeah! Sorry Sakura! We'll do it tomorrow!" Meiling said, her voice sincerely sorry. "Oh it's alright!" Sakura said and Tomoyo made her apologies. The girls followed Syaoran and Fang-Fei back in.  
  
~*~  
  
School was over and the group was walking back home. "We'll be going over to Syaoran and Meiling's house, ok?" Tomoyo asked Sakura and Sakura nodded and smiled. Syaoran grimaced at the thought. What would Sakura think of him if she found out that he had a stuffed toy looking thing as a magical guardian?   
  
Syaoran and Meiling suddenly stopped and looked around in warning. "What's wrong?" Sakura and Tomoyo asked at the same time. "Magic." Syaoran and Meiling said at the same time. "Huh? Again?" Tomoyo asked as she looked around.   
  
"Really?" Fang-Fei asked and closed her eyes to search for the magic. "I feel it too." Fang-Fei said, opening her eyes. Meiling smirked. "Took you long enough!" Meiling said and Fang-Fei glared at her. "Why you b-" she started but was cut off by Syaoran. "Don't start." Syaoran said, still looking around.   
  
Suddenly, rocks came flying at them. "DUCK!!!" Meiilng shouted as she ducked for cover. Everyone else did as she told. (A/N: I couldn't think of anything else! -_-;) Meiling got up and took out an incantation. "Water, come forth!" she said as she hit it with a sword and water came shooting out of it, blasting the rocks back. Despite her magical lineage, Fang-Fei had no abilities to fight with, leaving her almost as defenseless as non-magic people.   
  
Syaoran took out a small key with a moon at the end and held it out in front of him. A circle appeared beneath him, with a moon in the middle surrounded by fancy marks. "O Key that holds the Power of the Moon. Show your true form before me. I, Syaoran command under convert. Release!" Syaoran yelled out an incantation, making his key grow into a staff. He took out a thing that looked like a card and threw it up into the air. "I call upon the forces of wind to blow the rocks back! Windy!" he shouted and a woman that resembled wind came out, forcing the rocks back onto the ground.  
  
"This looks like one of..." Fang-Fei said but stopped. "What?" Sakura asked. "I don't know." Fang-Fei snapped back at Sakura. "Don't snap at her!" Tomoyo shouted to Fang-Fei. "Hmph." Fang-Fei just simply said and continued watching Syaoran.  
  
"Ok, I'll finish them off!" Syaoran said and took out two other cards. "Form a barrier between from the rocks! Shield!" Syaoran shouted as he threw the card into the air and hit it with his staff. A shield formed around Sakura, Tomoyo, Meiling, and Fang-Fei.   
  
He took the other card and threw it into the air and said another spell. "Destroy all the rocks! Shot!" he shouted and hit the Card making many shots of electricity shooting from the Card, destroying all the rocks. "Yay Syaoran! You did it!" Fang-Fei yelled as she jumped around and hugged Syaoran.   
  
"Who could've done that." Syaoran said, trying to get Fang-Fei off his arm. Sakura was just amazed by all this action. And she had to admit, Syaoran did look manly while fighting it off... 'What are you thinking? You're in 5th grade!' Sakura thought to herself as a voice broke through her thoughts.   
  
"So my little descendant still has the skills..." a dark voice rang through the cool evening. Syaoran slapped his forehead, Meiling blushed and Tomoyo gaped in horror. "No... it can't be..." Tomoyo said softly, her eyes narrowing into an angry glare.  
  
End of Chapter  
  
A/N: Yeah, it's kind of a cliffhanger... I guess. Anyways, I hope people don't complain that this is late! I know this chapter must have sucked, right? Oh well, please review anyways! I hope you enjoyed! 'Til next chapter! 


	6. Tomoyo's Enemy

Learning To Love and Learning From Love  
  


A/N: I'm so happy about how this story is progressing! It's the most reviewed story! Thank you for the reviews! Now, most of you are probably confused about why Tomoyo is gaping in horror. Well, you'll see ^_^ Thank you to all who reviewed!  
  


Billie Andrada: I will continue! Thanks for encouraging me!  
  


LilxKawaiixAzn: I'm glad you think T+M is kawaii! I'm glad you like it ^^  
  


cherrytree: I'll give you more! Thanks for the review!  
  


so man shan: Thanks for giving me the language tip! Thanks for the review!  
  


Mysterious Dark Eyed Wanderer: Ok, I'll e-mail you when I update! Thanks for the compliment!  
  


kikie: I'm glad you like my fic! I'll update soon!  
  


lil dreamer: Hehe, you're right! Well, you're going to see why Tomoyo gaped in horror, mwahahahaha!  
  


Jurei: Thanks for the support you've been giving me from the beginning! I'm glad you reviewed!  
  


Highlights of being a sagittarius: Thanks for the encouragement!  
  


SAKURA LOVER: Yup, it's obviously Eriol, lol. I'm glad you're the first to review but you're last on this list. Gomen ne! Thanks for reviewing!  
  


What happened last chapter:  
  


"So my little descendant still has the skills..." a dark voice rang through the cool evening. Syaoran slapped his forehead, Meiling blushed and Tomoyo gaped in horror. "No... it can't be..." Tomoyo said softly, her eyes narrowing into an angry glare.  
  


Back to the story. Enjoy!  
  


Chapter 6: Tomoyo's Enemy  
  


"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

~...~ = POV change

~*~ = Scene/time change

Italics = Emphasized words  
  


Out of the shadows of a group of trees stepped out a boy. "HOE!!!" Sakura yelled and everyone looked back to look at her. She sweatdropped. "Sorry, but his voice sounds like an adult's voice." Sakura said, staring confusedly at the boy in front of the group.  
  


"Eriol!" Meiling shouted, a bright smile on her face. "Long time no see, Meiling." Eriol said, smiling toward her which made her blush. "Hello, Li, Iowa." he said, turning to Syaoran and Fang-Fei who glared back. He didn't say a thing to Tomoyo but he did give her a glare which he received back a glare. (A/N: Lots of glares, ne?)  
  


He was a bit peculiar looking but alright. Dark blue hair, and dark sapphire eyes covered by glasses. "Nice to meet you Sakura Kinomoto." the boy said, his voice actually sounding like a young boy's. "H-Hoee..." Sakura said, staring at him as if she just saw a ghost.   
  


"He has two voices." Meiling explained turning to Sakura. "Yeah, the younger one to look like an innocent little moron and the dark one is his real one." Syaoran said, his eyes forming a glare. Tomoyo and Fang-Fei nodded in agreement.  
  


"Oh come on! You know Eriol isn't evil!" Meiling said, standing up for him. "How would you know?" Tomoyo asked in an accusing voice. "Why Daidouji? You don't trust me?" Eriol said in a mocking voice. Tomoyo shot a glare at him which didn't faze him at all.  
  


Eriol ignored the glare and walked toward Sakura. "H-How do you know my name?" Sakura asked him. "I know every-" Eriol said but was cut off by Tomoyo. "Lucky guess." she said, smirking at Eriol. "A guess?! Really?!" Sakura exclaimed making everyone sweatdrop.  
  


"She's a bit too naive." Meiling quietly whispered to Tomoyo who just kept on sweatdropping. "Well, anyways, nice to meet you too!" Sakura said to Eriol. "What's your full name?" Sakura asked him. "Eriol Hiiragizawa." Eriol replied. "You're Japanese too just like me and Tomoyo!" Sakura said which didn't make Tomoyo any happier.  
  


"I have nothing in common with him." Tomoyo said cooly, glaring at Eriol. "Neither do I want to." she said coldly. Eriol just kept that smile on his face. That damn smile that made Tomoyo want to kick him until he frowned, his face twisting with pain. But that would never happen. He's Eriol Hiiragizawa. The great half reincarnation of the great Clow Reed.   
  


But he's not great. He's not great at all in Tomoyo's eyes. All the greatness goes to Fujitaka, Sakura's dad. He was just a stuck-up, flirting, conceited, annoying, blood-boiling, damned idiot. To Tomoyo at least.   
  


Fang-Fei was standing there, tapping her foot. "Can we go now?" she complained and pulled Syaoran with her toward the path to the Li mansion. Sakura giggled and held out her hand to Tomoyo. "Shall we go?" she asked smiling towards Tomoyo. Tomoyo plastered on a fake smile and said "You go ahead. I'll catch up."   
  
  


Sakura nodded and offered Meiling to go with her. Meiling nodded slowly, a bit reluctantly and followed Sakura who was running to catch up to them. Meiling looked back at Eriol a bit longingly and ran after Sakura.   
  


~Tomoyo's POV~  
  


After Sakura and Meiling were out of earshot, I instantly turned to Hiiragizawa. "What are you doing back?" I asked, making my voice as cold as possible. "Do I need a reason?" Hiiragizawa asked nonchalantly obviously trying to get me angry. "Now you're going to try and flirt with Sakura?" I asked, making an evil smirk. He glared at me.  
  


"How could it be just because I was a bit cruel to my little descendant, you hate me like your worst enemy?" he asked, his words piercing me. I blushed heavily and turned from him to hide it. "He's my friend... my long time friend. A special friend. An idiot like you shouldn't be insulting him." I said trying to sound real. He smirked that stupid smirk that I've hated for the longest time.  
  


"Liar." he said, smirking but at the same time his eyes full of mocking hate. I closed my eyes tight to avoid that look. "Shut up!" I yelled, covering my ears to stop myself from hearing what he was saying. But I could still hear him.  
  


"Daidouji, stop denying it. You're deeply, hopelessly in love with a guy that's out of your reach." I heard him say. "Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, a swear word pouring out of my mouth for the first time. I opened my eyes to see him still smirking. "Daidouji, you're hopeless." he said, glaring a glare full of mock. I glared back at him, wanting to crush every bone in his body.   
  


We stood there for a few minutes having a glaring contest. "Tomoyo! Hiiragizawa!" a voice broke through our little contest. I turned my head to see Sakura waving to us. "Aren't you coming?" she yelled to us. Hiiragizawa and I immediately put on our most sweetest fake smiles. "Coming!" I yelled back and sprinted toward her.  
  


~Eriol's POV~  
  


Daidouji, that moron. She just can't admit it. It's just a lot harder if she tries to hide her feelings. Oh well, might as well follow them. I ran up to them, receiving another glare from Daidouji. She doesn't ever change, does she?

  
  


Syaoran and his annoying little fiancé was far ahead of me, Kinomoto, Meiling, and Daidouji. The four of us just continued walking along until we got to the Li mansion. 

  
  


~Tomoyo's POV~

  
  


"See you later, Meiling." I said to her. "Bye Meiling!" Sakura said in her cheerful voice. Hiiragizawa gave her a smile that she loves so much and the one I hate so much. Unsurprisingly, she blushed. "I'll see you in school." he said, making her look all dreamy. I don't see why she could fall in love with an idiot, even have a mere crush on Hiiragizawa. He's an idiot for all I care.

  
  


"Bye." she said quietly, still blushing in her own little world, and went into the house. I respect that Meiling does love/like somebody, but why him? Me, Syaoran, and Iowa all hate him. Wait, he just said something. "What did you just say?" I asked him, still glaring at him. He smirked.

  
  


"I said I'll see you in school tomorrow." then his face fell. "Are you in Mr. Terada's home room?" he asked, horror with a mix of hate evident on his face. "Yeah." I said quietly loathing what he would say next. "I'm in that home room." he said softly. Oh shit, that's just great! 

  
  


"That's great!" Sakura said. "We can be in the same class! That's good, isn't it Tomoyo?" she asked me and I almost fell down. How can she be so dense. Even Hiiragizawa looked like he was sweatdropping. "Yes Sakura. Very wonderful." I said, trying to sound real but it came out a bit sarcastic. But she didn't notice, thank goodness.

  
  


"So, shall we continue walking?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence that took over for a moment. I nodded, still having a smile on. "Yes, let's go." I said still having a fake smile on my face. We walked on until we reached my mansion. 

  
  


~Normal POV~

  
  


"Bye Hiiragizawa! See you tomorrow!" Sakura said and cheerfully waved. Eriol waved back, smiling at her. "Farewell, Hiiragizawa." Tomoyo said, smiling but without emotion. "Farewell Daidouji." he answered back in the same emotionless tone. "Hoe? You're making it sound like you're saying good-bye for the last time." Sakura said in a bit of confusion. "Hah, I wish." Eriol said under his breath, glaring at Tomoyo who glared back. But Sakura didn't catch that statement, fortunately for Tomoyo and Eriol. They wouldn't want to explain the whole thing to Sakura.

  
  


"Tomoyo, Sakura? You're home?" a voice asked and came out spotting the three. "Oh, hello Hiiragizawa! Nice to see you again!" the voice said. "Mrs. Dadiouji nice to see you too." Eriol said, smiling the sweetest smile he could make. "You came back from England?" Sonomi asked Eriol. "HOE!!! You're from England?" Sakura asked, a bit shocked. Eriol nodded.

  
  


Tomoyo groaned softly. He was acting like a goody-goody in front of her mother. It was quite embarrassing for Tomoyo. "Say Hiiragizawa, why don't you join us for dinner?" Sonomi asked politely. "NO!" Tomoyo shrieked, making Sakura and Sonomi look over at her. "I'm sorry, I was thinking of... something." Tomoyo explained quickly. Sonomi nodded and looked over at Eriol. "So, will you?" she asked.

  
  


"No, I'm afraid not. I have to go-" Eriol said but was cut off by Sakura. "Come on Hiiragizawa! Let's go!" Sakura said, pushing him towards the house. 

Yes, come on in!" Sonomi said and opened the door to the house. Tomoyo just groaned loudly. 'Here we go.' she thought bitterly, following them into the house.

  
  


~*~

  
  


"That was very delicious, Mrs. Daidouji!" Eriol exclaimed. "Tomoyo made it! I'm very proud of her!" Sonomi exclaimed, making Tomoyo blush in embarrassment. Eriol immediately frowned.

  
  


"Well, it's good for a young person's cooking." he said without much emotion. "It's really good Tomoyo!" Sakura shouted, smiling cheerfully. "Thank you." Tomoyo said, smiling at Sakura. Then she shot a glare to Eriol which Sakura and Sonomi didn't notice.

  
  


He glared back daggers at Tomoyo. A small glaring contest came in between the two until Sonomi interrupted it. "Eriol, would you like some more?" she asked, holding out a pot of soup to him. 

  
  


"No, I'd really better be going now." Eriol said and got up from his seat. "Thank you for the wonderful meal Mrs. Daidouji. I really enjoyed it." he said, smiling his best smile that annoys Tomoyo very much. 

  
  


"Oh, you're welcome Hiiragizawa. Please, come by anytime!" Sonomi said. Tomoyo groaned, but of course Eriol would never come by. Since she's around. "I had a great time Kinomoto, Mrs. Daidouji-" Eriol took a deep breath before going on. "Daidouji." he said, mumbling a bit and giving her yet another glare. Which was given back by Tomoyo. 

  
  


Sonomi smiled at him. "Now, would you like me to take you home?" she asked him. "Oh no. It's all right! I can get there fine!" Eriol said, holding his hands up. "Well... oh I know! Tomoyo, why don't you walk home with him?" Sonomi asked her. "Mother NO!" Tomoyo shouted. "Now Tomoyo, I'm your mother and you have to obey." Sonomi said sternly. "But... what about Sakura?" Tomoyo asked her frantically looking for a substitute. 

  
  


"Sakura will help me with the dishes." Sonomi said. "No, really, I can get home by myself!" Eriol said, very not wanting to go with Tomoyo. "No, you two should spend some time. You haven't seen each other in a while." Sonomi said. "But, we don't need to!" Tomoyo pleaded, looking at her mother with puppy-dog eyes. "No. You're going." her mother said sternly once again. 

  
  


"Fine." Tomoyo mumbled and went to the front door and waited for Eriol. "Good-bye." Eriol said and dragged towards the door. "Bye Hiiragizawa!" Sakura said, followed by Sonomi's. 

  
  


"Let's go." Tomoyo mumbled and opened the door which lead to the gate. She opened it and walked through with Eriol close behind. 

  
  


~*~

  
  


The whole way through the walk, the two had been silent, occasionally holding glaring contests. They reached Eriol's big mansion and Eriol went on to go in. "I'll see you in school." Tomoyo mumbled and walked on home. Eriol didn't reply and just stood staring at her from his front yard, which is a huge garden. He stood there for about a few minutes and realized what he was doing when she got out of sight. He furiously shook his head and went on in, trying to take out the thought of his worst enemy.

  
  


End of chapter

  
  


A/N: So how was it? But I do swear, this will be E+T! Well, as you probably figured out, Sonomi knew Eriol since he used to live in Hong Kong to help Syaoran change his cards and of course, he's a bit of a goody-goody. I do hope you enjoyed it and I hope this was out a bit faster than usual. PLEASE REVIEW AND I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!!!! Well, 'til next chapter! Ja ne!


	7. Strange and Confusing Feelings

Learning To Love and Learning From Love

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! I have over 70 now, I can't believe it! Thanks to all of you!

The Great One: I'm glad you're liking it! You gave a really enthusiastic review! It makes me feel great! I see you're a big E+T fan. Don't worry, you'll be seeing lots of E+T. Thanks for the encouragement!

someone: Well, I guess I didn't make the reason why Eriol and Tomoyo hate each other so much very clear. Eriol humiliated Syaoran and Tomoyo didn't like that at all. And since Tomoyo loves Syaoran a lot, she hates to see him unhappy, making her hate Eriol very much. I hope I made it clear to you. Thanks for reviewing! 

Lil Dragonlex: Hehe, I did make Tomoyo a bit OOC towards Eriol, didn't I? Well, that just makes the E+T relationship a bit more juicier, although I don't think I'll be writing it very well. Well, thanks for the review!

LiL DreameR: Of course it'll be E+T and sorry for the lack of S+S in the last chapter. Oh, I never knew this fic would have so many people like it! Thanks for reviewing! 

Ardicana: Hehe, I know that the fic is a bit unrealistic, but I couldn't think of any other way at the time. Thanks for the compliment!

kitty kat: Glad you're enjoying it! Makes me feel really good! Sorry for the late chapter -_-; 

Jurei: I'm so glad you review every chapter! I can't believe this is actually sugoi! Thank you!

2kz: Thanks for the info! It was helpful! I'll try to use it! Thanks for the review!

Diana@Lineelu2001: I'm so happy that you actually like this! Thanks for reviewing!

EyRieya: Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

iii_sis: Here's some more! Glad you like it! Thanks for the review!

cherrytree: Well, here's chapter 7! You're enthusiasm makes me feel great! Thanks!

Angela Zou: Of course I'll e-mail you! Thanks for the compliment!

Never knew I'd get so many reviews! *Cries* Thank you all!!!!!!!! Ok, I'll cut this short. Please R+R and Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura! Heck, all of you people should know that by now!

Chapter 7: Strange and Confusing Feelings

"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

~*~ = Scene/time change

~...~ = POV change

-...- = Words in italics (incase the stupid italics don't show up AGAIN)

It was still dark in the early morning as Syaoran woke up staring into the face of Kero-chan. "GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!" Kero-chan shouted, completely waking up Syaoran now. "Morning Kero-chan." Syaoran grunted, trying to get the ringing out of his ears. "What are you doing up so early?" Kero-chan asked with questioning eyes. Syaoran thought. Why had he? He couldn't really remember...

"I guess I just slept early or something." Syaoran said as-a-matter-of-factly but Kero-chan didn't seem convinced. "Syaoran, you slept at 12:00 last night training. What's wrong?" he asked, a bit concerned for him. "Nothing. I guess I'm just not tired today." Syaoran tried again. Kero-chan, still not fully convinced, let it go. "Ok then. I'll just go play some video games." Kero-chan announced and left the room. As Syaoran dressed, he wondered why he was so sleepless. His dream... he couldn't remember but it was nice. The emotion... it was strange... but nice. 

He tried to get a clear picture of the person that came out in his dream. A girl...? Short auburn hair... the eyes... emerald...? They looked familiar yet he couldn't figure where he had seen them. Syaoran closed his eyes and violently shook his head. 'Maybe I should just train to get my mind out of it.' Syaoran thought as he left the room for the training room. 

~*~ 

SLASH! Syaoran's sword sliced the air as he trained, bright and early in the morning. He was up bright and early, two hours before school would even start. Since it was so early, the morning sky was still a bit dark, the sun still making its way to its spot in the sky, and the morning air still had a chill in it. "Syaoran? What are you doing up so early?" Meiling said sleepily as she walked into their training room. Syaoran looked toward his sister. 'Damn, I was trying to get the dream out of my head.' Syaoran cursed.

"What are you doing up so early if you're so tired?" he asked trying to forget and glancing at Meiling worriedly who had circles under her eyes from her lack of sleep. "Oh, I couldn't sleep very well." she admitted, rubbing her eyes. Syaoran's eyes widened. "You too?!" he asked and Meiling looked at him with confused eyes. "I mean, why?" Syaoran said quickly, flushing a bit. Meiling just shrugged and didn't give it much thought. "I was just thinking..." Meiling said, rubbing her eyes and giving a yawn. "About what?" Syaoran said a bit suspiciously. "Oh... about... uh, things! Hehe..." Meiling said quickly, rubbing her hand behind her neck. Before Syaoran could ask more questions, they heard footsteps heading toward the room.

They both turned to look towards the door, Syaoran ready to attack. "You people are up already?" a voice asked from the hallway. Meiling couldn't help but blush slightly as she recognized the voice. Syaoran withdrew the sword he had in his hand and went back into a regular position, although he kept the glare on his face, knowing who it already was. Touya appeared through the door and stared at Syaoran and Meiling.

Syaoran just glared at Touya who eventually glared back. "Yeah, just training." Syaoran answered, still glaring and turned back to his sword. Touya continued to throw a hateful glare towards Syaoran when he noticed Meiling. His gaze suddenly turned from one of hate to worry and sympathy. Touya kneeled down so that he was in eye level with Meiling and looked into her eyes with concern. Meiling turned into an even brighter crimson and her eyes converted its gaze to the floor. "Hey, what time did you go to sleep last night?" Touya asked her. "Usual time." Meiling answered, trying to keep a calm and casual voice. "Then why do you look so tired and why are you up so early?" Touya asked, a bit suspicious. "I-I haven't b-been able to s-sleep last n-night." Meiling replied, stumbling over her words. Touya still looked at her suspiciously but got up and walked out of the room. 

Meiling realized that she had been holding her breath and she let it out, a huge sigh filling the room. 'I do not love Touya, I do not love Touya...' Meiling thought to herself. Syaoran placed a hand on Meiling's shoulder which caused her to startle a bit, breaking out of her thoughts. "Meiling, are you ok?" Syaoran asked, trying to keep a smirk from forming. "Oh, um, yeah." Meiling said as she walked over to the corner of the room and took a hold of one of the swords they fought each other with. "Well, want to fight for a little." she asked, smiling a challenging smile. Syaoran smiled back and made a fighting stance. "Sure." he said and the fight began.

~*~

A girl with long brown hair with a single braid and her school uniform on tiptoed down the huge stairs of her house. No, let me correct myself. Of her mansion. She put her hand over her mouth, trying to stop the childish giggles from pouring out of her mouth. She approached the kitchen and peered in to find that Eriol, her master, was preparing the breakfast they were to eat that morning. 'Oh drats! I wanted to make breakfast. Oh well.' the girl thought and she quietly tiptoed onto the kitchen floor. Just a bit more... yes... yes... just a loud "GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!" and that would finally prove that her master was able to scare. A childish thing to want to do, but what can you expect from plain old Nakuru Akizuki?

"Morning Ruby Moon." Eriol said, knowing that she had entered the kitchen, intending to scare him. "Awwww, I thought that I could enter without you knowing!" Nakuru whined and a small, bluish, cat-like stuffed animal with wings entered, snorting. "You know that Master is at least 1,000,000 time more sensitive and smarter than you." the stuffed animal named Spinel said cooly, sneering at Nakuru. Nakuru broke down into sobs which was painfully obvious that they were fake. "Oh stop your complaining!" Spinel shot at Nakuru and Eriol set the last plate of breakfast on the table. "Let's just start eating." Eriol said, obviously not wanting to hear them argue. Nakuru sat down still bawling with Spinel accompanying the noise by telling her to shut up. Eriol sighed and rubbed his head. He was in no mood for it this morning in particular, having a certain enemy of his lingering in his head... 'I hate her.' Eriol thought simply before stuffing a fork full of pancakes into his mouth.

~*~

-Sakura looked around and saw her in a peaceful garden with small streams and ponds with various flowers, herbs, and blossoming trees. A flowery fragrance filled the air.-

-"Where am I? Where is this place? Where's Big Brother, Tomoyo, or Aunt Sonomi?"-

-She walked on until a voice called out and she stopped, searching for the owner of the voice.-

-"Sakura..."-

-"Who just called my name?! Hoe... the voice sounds familiar... it's a guy's voice but it's soothing... Big Brother? No, it can't be. Sounds too young..."-

-She found the strangers, mostly covered in a shadow. She squinted, looking closely at the figure. Piercing amber eyes looked at her gently.-

-"Sakura, I love you..."-

-Sakura's eyes widened as her heart started racing...-

Sakura suddenly sat up straight in bed, her eyes still wide. Her heart was still pounding like mad and she was slightly gasping for breath. "Who was that?" Sakura asked herself and she put her hand on her heart. It was pounding loudly in her chest and her face felt a bit warm. While trying to get the thought out of her head, she got out of bed, for once not oversleeping even a bit. She glanced at her alarm clock and was surprised to find that she was very early.

~*~

"Hmph." Tomoyo said grumpily as she carefully brushed her hair. 'Damn Hiiragizawa, ruining my life.' she thought miserably as she set her brush down. She set her headband down in her head as her usual hair style and walked out of the door to find Sakura wandering around her huge mansion. "Sakura? You're up already? That's pretty early." Tomoyo exclaimed, surprised that the girl that claimed she had a reputation of waking up amazingly late was probably earlier than-she- had been.

"Oh, yeah Tomoyo. Good morning!" Sakura chirped in her -almost- usual self. Being the terribly clever and sensitive person she is, Tomoyo noticed Sakura's small lack of cheerfulness. "Sakura, is something wrong? You're not as cheerful as usual." Tomoyo asked, concerned. "Um... I just had a weird dream, that's all." Sakura said as if it was no big deal. "You can tell me all about it while walking to school." Tomoyo said as she walked down to breakfast. Sweat started rapidly pouring down the back of her head as she thought 'Oh boy...'

~*~

Syaoran, Meiling, and to both Meiling and especially Syaoran's displeasure, Fang-Fei was with them, clinging to Syaoran's arm. Syaoran tried struggling a bit to get her off, but not too roughly or he'd hurt her feelings. Even if Syaoran seemed extremely annoyed by Fang-Fei and acted as if he almost hated her, but that wasn't true. Fang-Fei was still his cousin and practically like a sister to him. He loved her, just not in the way she loved him.   


Meiling looked over at Fang-Fei and slightly rolled her eyes. Ever since Meiling and Fang-Fei were young, they had never gotten along. After Fang-Fei and Syaoran were to be engaged, that made Meiling a bit pissed and confused. She found being engaged to a cousin of yours extremely weird. Even if she never really got along with Fang-Fei, she still cared for her. She was still family. Meiling couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Fang-Fei, considering that Syaoran didn't even have one bit of romantic interest in her. But she knew he still cared.

~*~

"It's quite stuffy in here." Spinel complained from inside Eriol's bag. "You're the one who said that you want to see everyone again along with Kinomoto." Eriol said to Spinel, not turning towards his backpack. "Yeah -SUPPI!-" Nakuru said, emphasizing the name he hated so much. "Oh just shut up!" Spinel said in a muffled voice from inside Eriol's backpack. Eriol rolled his eyes at their fighting.

"Will you two quit fighting for even a second?" Eriol asked, annoyed. "NO!" Spinel and Nakuru shouted, their shout directed towards Eriol, then turned their heads toward each other to continue bickering. Eriol sighed and rubbed his temple. Of course he wasn't really annoyed by them. It was cause his mind was on somebody a bit -too- much. 'Dammit, I really hate her.' Eriol thought, wanting to bang his head on a wall.

~*~

"Come on Sakura. You can tell me." Tomoyo urged Sakura as they were slowly walking to school. There was a little autumn chill in the air as some orange leaves drifted down onto the ground from a tree. Sakura turned her face away from Tomoyo's to hide the blush that crossed her cheeks. "I don't want to talk about it." Sakura said, trying to strain the embarrassment in her voice. 

"Was it a nightmare?" Tomoyo asked, trying to get a look at Sakura's face. "No, it actually felt... nice..." Sakura said truthfully. "Go on." Tomoyo directed to Sakura. "I was in a beautiful garden full of different types of flowers and trees and they gave off a nice smell in the air. There were little streams and ponds all over the place and it was deserted." Sakura paused for a moment to gather some memory of the tree. Tomoyo thought hard. 'Why does that garden sound familiar?' Tomoyo asked herself.   


"And..." Sakura started again, making Tomoyo shake off her thoughts. "I searched all over the place to see if anybody else was there also. Then..." Sakura trails off, blushing a bright red. A -very innocent- smile crossed Tomoyo's face. She closed her eyes and tilted her head towards Sakura. "Then what happened Sakura?" Tomoyo asked and Sakura gulped slightly.

"Well, a guy was coming my way. I couldn't get a very good look at him. He told me..." Sakura trailed off again, burning even a brighter red. Tomoyo waited, the smile still on her face. "He told me... he... loves me..." Sakura said with extreme difficulty, now her face reaching the boiling point. 

~*~ 

"Hey!" a voice was heard and Meiling froze a bit in her spot. She tried to put up a casual front and turned around to see Touya and Yukito running towards them. They stopped, gasping for breath. "Hey, why don't we walk to school with you since it's right next to ours?" Touya asked, his panting slowly stopping. "Yeah, we could talk about things." Yukito added with his usual smile. "Sure." Meiling managed to say without stuttering. 

The group of five continued to walk on, not much being said. Fang-Fei was chattering on about how much in love she and Syaoran was, Syaoran was grumbling under his breath about all this being crap from her fantasies, Yukito talking about what he was going to eat for lunch, Touya occasionally saying he wanted a bike, aware that Meiling was right near him, while Meiling didn't say much. 'I love Eriol, don't I? But... I feel so weird around Touya...' Meiling thought, lost in them. The group eventually reached the school and Touya turned to Meiling. 

"Hey, can you teach me some magic today after school? With your brother if you want." Touya said, fidgeting a bit and looking in all directions except Meiling's eyes. "O-Oh, yeah sure!" Meiling said as she smiled at him. His heart skipped a beat. "Ok, then see you guys later." Touya said a bit rapidly and turned around to walk toward his school. Yukito looked at him confusedly and turned back to the younger group to wave a quick good-bye along with a cheerful smile. They waved back and watched Touya quickly walk to his school. "What's with him?" Fang-Fei asked and dragged Syaoran to school with her. Meiling just stared at Touya's retreating back, confused more than ever, and followed the other two.

~*~ 

"Master, why are you in such a bad mood today?" Nakuru asked suddenly realizing that Eriol was acting a bit abnormal. "You didn't notice til now?" Spinel asked, but Nakuru ignored his comment. "You usually never ever get annoyed with our fighting, but today you're a bit touchy." Nakuru said, a bit worried about Eriol's strange behavior. 

"I'm just in a bad mood today." Eriol answered simply, subconsciously knowing that wasn't the reason why. "It wouldn't be because of Daidouji, would it?" Spinel asked from inside Eriol's backpack, smirking. Eriol became angry on impulse. "THAT'S NOT THE REASON WHY!!!" he shouted towards his backpack, catching some people's attention. 

Eriol smiled back to the people innocently then faced forward. He continued walking, pretending Spinel had never said a damn thing. "You can't deny it master. Suppi's right." Nakuru said softly, looking at Eriol. "It's Spinel." Spinel snarled, trying not to let his voice rise so much that it caught other people's attentions. "Ok, I admit it. I. Hate. Her. Like. -Hell-." Eriol said, emphasizing each word, the last especially.

"Master, she can't be that bad, can she?" Spinel asked from his backpack. "Yes she can." Eriol answered automatically. Nakuru and Spinel sighed, shaking their heads. "Oh we're approaching school. Let's go before we're late." Eriol said hurriedly. Nakuru and Spinel sighed again. "See you later Nakuru, and I warn you Spinel, don't disturb the class." Eriol said and he and Nakuru went their separate ways.

~*~

"He did?" Tomoyo asked, a bit amused, but she had a feeling of discomfort in her heart. "Did you get a look at how he looks like?" Tomoyo asked suddenly, not expecting the question herself. "Um... well, I know he had bright amber eyes..." Sakura said thoughtfully. Tomoyo's heart broke. Nonetheless, she covered it. "Oh, I see." Tomoyo said, having a small clue who the guy in her dreams might be. "Oh, we're approaching the school." Sakura announced and Tomoyo looked to see the school coming into view. "Let's go!" Sakura said and Tomoyo smiled a bit. The two girls raced towards the building.

Sakura ran straight ahead and Tomoyo noticed that Sakura ran very fast. 'Like Syaoran.' Tomoyo thought. A smile came to her face. Just thinking of Syaoran had that effect on her. 

"Good morning, Hiiragizawa, right?" Tomoyo heard Sakura's voice saying. "Good morning, Kinomoto." the voice Tomoyo hated so much said in response to Sakura's greeting. Tomoyo's smile immediately turned into a frown and her eyes narrowed. She slowed down to a walk, not wanting to see Hiiragizawa anytime soon. As Tomoyo reached the place, she and Eriol exchanged glares. "Good morning Daidouji." Eriol said cooly. "Good morning, Hiiragizawa." Tomoyo replied, not bothering to look at him. For a minute there was an intense silence. Sakura decided to break it. "Shall we go now?" she asked, smiling towards the other two frowning ones. They nodded and proceeded to follow Sakura.

End of Chapter

A/N: Corny chapter, I know. I'm sorry for the late posting, so please forgive me. So, here's a preview of the next chapter:

*Preview*

-'HOE!!! Li looks like the guy in my dream.' Sakura thought, her face turning crimson. Syaoran looked at her in confusion. "Kinomoto, are you okay?" he asked and he noticed the sharp emerald eyes. 'Hey... they look familiar... my... dream...?...!!!' Syaoran thought, blushing crimson as well. -

-'But I love Eriol, not Touya... I think?' Meiling thought, watching Touya practicing with a sword. "So, care to go on with the training?" Touya asked, turning to Meiling, who blushed furiously at the sight of him. 'Or maybe I... do...?' Meiling asked herself, getting lost into Touya's dark eyes.

-Eriol noticed tears running down Tomoyo's face. "Daidouji, what's wrong?" Eriol asked, trying to strain the worry out of his voice to no avail. Tomoyo tried to stop the tears in vain. "I think Sakura's in love with Syaoran and Syaoran's in love with Sakura... and the worst part is... I think they're meant to be together..." Tomoyo trailed off, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. Eriol hesitated at first but wrapped his arms around her slowly.-

*End Preview*

Well, I hope those are good enough previews for you. Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, and please go easy on the flames!!! 'Til next chapter! Ja ne! 


	8. Getting To Know You

  


Learning To Love and Learning From Love

A/N: Sheesh! Please tell me why the heck italics or bolding won't show up when I upload a new chapter? Please tell me!!! Anyways, thank you VERY MUCH for all the reviews!!! I was so happy that I got 10 new ones! Oh and please, I beg you, PLEASE stop mentioning how late I post up chapters people. I know myself, and I am a late person. I know that. People don't have to remind me. So, please don't mention my tardiness of posting in any reviews. Anyways, now that's over with, someone mentioned that Touya falling instantly in love with an 11 year-old is totally confusing. *cough* *blush* Yeah... *sweatdrop* well, hehe, yeah, this twisted mind of mine, hehe... I guess, you could say that Touya was just attracted somehow. Anyways, you'll notice that he doesn't seem to feel as strong as Meiling does. Yeah, so thank you to everyone who reviewed:  
  
SAKURA LOVER: Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked the chapter!  
  
kawaiiaznangel36: Hehe, a bit of suspense, ne? Lol, jk. You got the part about Eriol comforting Tomoyo is like when Syaoran comforted Sakura right. I hope this chapter satisfies everyone ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Lil DragonLex: Yeah, I'm a very lazy person aren't I? *sweatdrop* Anyways, thanks for reviewing!  
  
Silver-Cherry: Ooh, a very enthusiastic reviewer! It makes me feel good! I will continue! Thanks for the encouragement!  
  
iii_sis: Yup, I'm the mastermind of weird triangles, I think. Lol, I will write more! Thanks for your constant reviews!  
  
Orange-Kirei: I'm glad you like it! I will continue! Thanks for your review!

Jurei: I'm glad you think Touya/Meiling is interesting. I got so many people interested with the preview, I'm so amazed! Thanks for your constant reviews as well!  
  
Daphne Li: I'm glad you're loving it! Makes me feel good again! Well, here's the next chappy! Thanks!

LiL DreameR: I'm sure my writing isn't Shakespeare compared to yours. I'm sure yours is even better. Glad you think it's kawaii! Thanks for reviewing!

ardicana: Lol, about the Touya falling in love thing, I guess you could call it attraction, although I have a pretty twisted mind. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!

cherrytree: Well, here's the next chapter! I'm glad you like it so much! Thanks!

usal-lover888: Hehe, the preview got a lot of people! Thanks for your review!

Thank you all!!! Oh, and please read my best friend Mei-hua's fics!!! They're really good and she'd be happy if you reviewed ^_^ Her stories are masterpieces compared to mine. So go read them, please? And me and Mei-hua have an account together called "Mei-hua and Anime." Yeah, boring name, I know. Anyways, we're working on a fic where we rewrite the Star Card season into our own version. Yeah, anyways, please R+R and Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yeah, you know that I don't own CCS, so shoo!  
  


Chapter 8: Getting To Know You  
  


"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

(...) = A/N

-...- = Words that are supposed to be in italics  


"Morning!" Sakura's cheerful voice was heard all around the classroom, despite all the noise the students were making. Syaoran tensed a bit at the sound of her voice but he calmed himself down. 'It's just Kinomoto.' Syaoran thought to himself and tried not to look at Sakura. "Morning Tomoyo, Sakura." several girls said to them.   
  
"Syaoran, don't you think she's really obnoxious? I mean, she's here for only a day so far and she has friends already!" Fang-Fei complained, tugging on Syaoran's arms. "Why does that make her obnoxious?" Syaoran grunted, trying to struggle out of Fang-Fei's grasp. "Morning, Meiling, Iowa!" Sakura said cheerfully as usual. "Good morning, Sakura!" Meiling responded, smiling to her. Fang-Fei just grunted, sticking her nose in the air. Meiling secretly stuck her tongue out at her. Tomoyo and Sakura giggled at Meiling's antics. "Meiling, that's not very nice." Sakura whispered, in between giggles. "Who gives a damn about her?" Meiling asked. Tomoyo had to agree.

"Good morning, Syaoran." Tomoyo said, not enthusiastically, but softly and gently with a sweet smile directed to Syaoran and only -for- Syaoran. Of course, Syaoran was a -bit- too naive to notice any love signs that Tomoyo practically threw at him. Tomoyo was a bit glad for that. Of course Syaoran could or would never love her and for him to know that she loved him more than anything, she would -not- like that. First of all, he'll reject her. That would be painful, -very-painful. Second of all, he'll feel bad and will be in pain. She would -never- want to see him in pain, physical or emotional. Third of all, their friendship would be broken. It would be uncomfortable between them. She'd absolutely -hate- that.

"Good morning, Li!" Tomoyo heard Sakura say cheerfully to Syaoran. She felt a painful pang. She noted how Sakura only said "morning" to other people while she said a "good morning" to -her- Syaoran. (A/N: It's true, cause in the CCS series, Sakura only seems to say "ohayo gozaimos" to Yukito and just plain "ohayo" to others. Sorry for the interruption ^_^;)   
  
Tomoyo shook her head. 'In your dreams, Tomoyo.' she thought to herself bitterly. Syaoran wasn't -hers-. He would -never- be -hers-. "G-Good morning, K-Kinomoto." Tomoyo heard Syaoran stutter. She giggled to herself quietly. Syaoran's stutters were very cute. She loved the way he stuttered. She loved a lot about him. He was her number one. She sighed sadly.  


"What's wrong, Tomoyo?" Meiling asked, looking at Tomoyo worriedly. Tomoyo looked up to see Meiling staring at her in concern. "Oh, it's nothing Meiling." Tomoyo said, a fake smile on her face. "Oh..." Meiling said hesitantly, looking at Tomoyo. "Ok, then Tomoyo." Meiling said and turned back to chatting with Sakura.   
  
"Good morning!" three voices said. Tomoyo, Meiling, and Sakura turned to find Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko standing there. "Morning!" the three girls said back. "You're name's Sakura, right?" Chiharu asked, looking at Sakura. "Yeah." Sakura said with her bright smile. "And you're Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko?" Sakura asked. It was a surprise for both Tomoyo and Meiling that such a dense girl would memorize names so fast. "Yup!" all three answered, smiling.   
  
"Everyone, sit down in your seats." the voice of Mr. Terada said as he entered the room. As he came in, Tomoyo noticed a light hue of pink on Rika's cheek. Tomoyo smiled a knowing one. It was a bit hard to get, but there were several clues to the fact that Rika was in love with their teacher Mr. Terada. She was always doing things for him, blushing at the sight/mention of him, and Tomoyo was sure Mr. Terada loved her back.  
  
All the students sat down in their seats and the teacher started marking the absent people. Sakura sat behind Syaoran, a bit uncomfortable. 'Hoe? Why do I feel so tense?' Sakura thought to herself and she found herself unable to break her gaze from the back of Syaoran's head. There was something familiar about Syaoran... something Sakura couldn't quite point out...   


"Everyone, may I have your attention?" Mr. Terada said, a few heads turning to look at him. "An old student has returned." Mr. Terada added, getting almost everyone's attention this time. In the back, Syaoran was scowling, Tomoyo was fuming, and Fang-Fei was yawning. "Welcome back Eriol Hiiragizawa." he said as a boy with blue hair and glasses walked into the room.   


Some girls gasped dreamily while some guys mumbled and grumbled, while another guy, namely Takashi Yamazaki, was smiling happily. Meiling blushed and smiled dreamily and Eriol smiled back a mysterious smile to the class. "Of course, I'm sure you'd remember how class goes." Mr. Terada said and Eriol nodded, frowning at the realization that the only seat was in the back of Tomoyo. "Hiiragizawa, sit in the back of Daidouji." Mr. Terada ordered, and Eriol stomped to the back of the room, not a very pleasant smile on his face.   
  
Eriol sat down behind Tomoyo, grunting as he did. "The feeling's not mutual." Tomoyo whispered to him, causing him to glare at her, despite the fact she couldn't see it. "We will begin learning algebra." Mr. Terada announced. "Hoe?!" Sakura whispered loudly. People around her shot her a glance. Sakura didn't notice. She was getting panicky. Sweat formed on her palms and her mind was freezing.  
"Sakura, are you okay?" Tomoyo asked her in concern. Sakura nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah... I'm fine..." Sakura said quietly, not really knowing what she was saying. Tomoyo looked at her for a second but then continued listening to the teacher. "All of use will be working on algebra papers with a partner who will be the person behind you." Mr. Terada said to the class. (A/N: I know that doesn't make much sense but it'll work out even if there's an even number of people @_@)  
  
Sakura and Syaoran tensed slightly. Since Sakura was the last person in the row, it would have to be so she and Syaoran would be togther. She gulped slightly, her heart racing faster. She just hoped that Syaoran would be a math whiz considering the fact that Sakura's vision would blur slightly whenever she saw an algebra problem. (A/N: Do orphans get educated? Well, let's say that Sakura and Touya did.)  
  
Tomoyo and Eriol was not happy at all. Eriol was the last person in the row, as was Sakura, so it would turn out that he and Tomoyo would work on the algebra together. "Dammit." Eriol said under his breath. Tomoyo snorted in reply. "If anybody needs help, just raise your hand and I'll help you." Mr. Terada said while passing out papers. After all the papers were passed out and all the partner problems were fixed, he told them to begin.  
  
Meiling looked back at Tomoyo and Eriol. 'Lucky Tomoyo...' Meiling thought but found it confusing that she wasn't as jealous as she should be. 'That's strange...' Meiling thought, knowing that she should be a lot more jealous than this if she was actually in love with Eriol. "Hello!?" Fang-Fei said haughtily, and Meiling looked to her cousin. "Took you long enough." Fang-Fei snorted and Meiling sighed. This was going to be a headache.  
  
Syaoran turned around as Sakura suddenly started staring intently at Syaoran. Those eyes... Sakura had seen them before... she had never noticed Syaoran had those eyes... those eyes... those eyes... her own eyes widened to the size of plates when she finally realized where she had seen them.   


'HOE!!! Li looks like the guy in my dream.' Sakura thought, her face turning crimson. Syaoran looked at her in confusion. "Kinomoto, are you okay?" he asked and he noticed the sharp emerald eyes. 'Hey... they look familiar... my... dream...?...!!!' Syaoran thought, blushing crimson as well. The two just turned crimson and looked away to calm their rapidly beating hearts. 'What's wrong with me?' Syaoran wondered as he glanced at Sakura who was staring down at the ground. 'I-It's just nothing.' Syaoran concluded after a moment.  
  
Little did they know that Tomoyo was staring at them with somber eyes. 'Wonder what's happening.' she thought although she had a pretty good idea. Sakura couldn't be that dense. "Daidouji, care to start?" Eriol's mocking voice broke through Tomoyo's thoughts. Forgetting to put on a cold mask, Tomoyo turned to look at Eriol with the sad eyes.   
  
"Took you long-" Eriol began, but noticed how sad Tomoyo looked. "Daidouji... are you okay?" Eriol asked hesitantly. Tomoyo gasped slightly and her eyes turned cold towards him. "Yeah, wonder why you're worrying." she said harshly, glaring at him. He glared back. "Forget I asked." he mumbled then started to work on the papers. Tomoyo couldn't help but feel bad that she did that. But when did she ever care about -him-? She shot one more glance toward Sakura and Syaoran, who was now explaining to Sakura how to solve it with tension in between them, and she turned back to work.  
  
~*~  
  
"Tomoyo?" Syaoran said, breaking the silence between them. The two were walking to Syaoran's house slowly. He had no idea why Tomoyo was giving off sad and uncomfortable waves around him. "Well... what would you do if you were engaged to somebody... but you think you might have feelings for someone else?" Syaoran suddenly asked. Tomoyo's heart broke more.  
  
"It's Sakura, isn't it?" she asked, trying to sound happy. It worked for Syaoran. "N-No..." Syaoran said, obviously lying. "Well... I did dream about her..." he said then trailed off. "...but that doesn't mean I like her." he said, uncertainty in her voice. "Syaoran." Tomoyo said and Syaoran looked up into Tomoyo's eyes. "Syaoran, it's ok if you like someone else. Didn't Fang-Fei say that she'll break the engagement if you found someone you loved more?" Tomoyo asked and Syaoran nodded slowly.  
  
"But... I don't like Kinomoto." he said quietly, again uncertainty entering his voice. Tomoyo smiled the smile reserved for Syaoran. "I'm sure you'll know in a while." Tomoyo said, a gentle smile on her face. Fortunately for Tomoyo, Syaoran missed the pain, the love, the wanting in her eyes. Syaoran smiled a genuine smile to Tomoyo. "Thanks Tomoyo." Syaoran said and Tomoyo smiled back. "Anything for you Syaoran." she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. 

This time Syaoran caught it but shook it off. The two continued down the path to the Li mansion, cherry blossoms floating to the ground. 'Anything for you...' Tomoyo thought lovingly but sadly at the same time as she watched Syaoran slowly walk down the path, catching the blossoms in his hand and staring at them, confused.  
  
'You'll soon know yourself, Little Wolf.' Tomoyo thought sadly as she acknowledged the fact that it'll never be her. He may have her heart, but his will never be hers. But that was okay. 'As long as he's happy.' Tomoyo thought, but in her heart, she had a feeling that may not be enough.  


~*~  
  
"Ok, so people with magical lineage are able to use these paper elements?" Touya asked and Meiling nodded, avoiding Touya's gaze. "But you need to a magical tool to help you summon those elements. I use a magic staff and Syaoran has a magic staff as well but he never uses these ofudas since has his cards." she explained, somewhat proud that she didn't stutter one bit. (A/N: Are those little element things called ofudas?)  
  
The two were outside and the sun was shining brightly down on them though a slight autumn chill was in the air. An autumn scent also hung in the air, a sensation Meiling liked. They were right next to the garden in a field with semi-dead grass. Dead leaves were all around the field in small piles and more were being added due to the constant falling of leaves from the trees.  
  
"Here, I'll show you mine." Meiling continued, summoning up a staff. Her staff was about two feet in length and was generally simple. Rubies adorned the staff and on top of the staff, a ruby-red star was on the top of the staff since it was where her power came from. She held up the staff carefully and she held an ofuda in between her index and middle fingers. A focused look crossed her eyes and she threw the ofuda up into the air. She struck it with her staff while shouting "Wind descend!" A powerful gust of wind blew from the little paper.   
  
Touya gaped at the scene before him, amazed at the fact that such a tiny paper could work up such a powerful wind. Meiling put down her arms into a relaxed position and couldn't help but smile at the shocked look on Touya's face. She handed him a sword she instantly summoned up. He looked at it, still a bit dazed at the surprise. "I think you should have a magical sword as your magical tool..." Meiling pondered as she thought about it over, holding her hand up to her chin. "... yes a sword." she handed it to him, their hands briefly touching for a second.   
  
Electricity and fire coursed through their bodies for a second and the two stared at each other for three seconds. Touya coughed, breaking the silence and Meiling's daze. "Oh, uh, yeah, you sh-should practice using the sword first, y-you know, to get used to using it." she explained, her face flushed, and her heart beating rapidly. Touya nodded, trying to ignore his speeding heart. He walked outwards into the field and took a deep breath. He then started slashing the sword outward, the sword slicing the air, performing it like he had seen Meiling and Syaoran use a sword a few times before. Meiling... she wouldn't leave his mind. He had quite a bit of trouble at school, due to her, and he was not like it one bit.  
  
Meiling watched Touya intensely, her eyes glued to him. Her heart was confused although she kept reminding herself that she shouldn't be. Eriol was slowly fading from her mind and she didn't know why Touya attracted her so well. 'But I love Eriol, not Touya... I think?' Meiling thought, watching Touya practicing with a sword. "So, care to go on with the training?" Touya asked, turning to Meiling, who blushed furiously at the sight of him. 'Or maybe I... do...?' Meiling asked herself, getting lost into Touya's dark eyes.  


No, it couldn't be. She couldn't be in love with Touya. It was unnatural, considering he was 7 years older than her. And anyways, Eriol was a nice guy, he was perfect for Meiling's tastes... but why was her feelings getting stronger for Touya? "Hey... uh, kid..." Touya said, trying to get her attention. He knew perfectly well that her name was Meiling, but he couldn't bring himself to call her by her name, considering that they weren't very close. "Y-Yes." Meiling answered nervously, finally realizing that he had been talking to her. "Shouldn't we go on with the training?" Touya asked, confused and worried at her stranger behavior around him.  


"I-I think we should get to magic tomorrow." Meiling said suddenly. "You did a great job, and I think you'll be a great magician and warrior." she said, blushing at what she just said. Touya felt flattered but uncomfortable at the same time. Meiling immediately turned towards the house and started walking quickly towards it, her head down, trying to hide her scarlet face from the world. This couldn't be happening... it really couldn't be happening.  


~*~

The autumn afternoon had turned into an autumn night as the stars littered the sky. The night sky was bright, as was the day, and the moon was full and shining down upon the Earth. Maybe the peaceful and happy shine wasn't very well meant for a certain girl, shedding tears on a park bench. It was Tomoyo Daidouji who was sitting out under the night, crying away. It hurt so much... she had nothing to do but cry.

Meanwhile, a boy her age of 11 was also walking through this certain park, glasses glinting off light given off by the moon and stars. Eriol Hiiragizawa just wanted a peaceful walk through the park, but then he heard muffed sobbing from a bench in the park. He couldn't help but get curious and walked over to the bench.

"Is somebody there?" he hesitantly asked and Tomoyo gasped, realizing who it was. "H-Hiiragizawa!? What are you doing here!?" she asked, surprised and was putting a large amount of effort into trying not to show him that she had been crying. Even if it was night, to Tomoyo's disadvantage, the bright night lights in the sky made seeing not very hard.   


Eriol noticed tears running down Tomoyo's face. "Daidouji, what's wrong?" Eriol asked, trying to strain the worry out of his voice to no avail. Tomoyo tried to stop the tears in vain. "I think Sakura's in love with Syaoran and Syaoran's in love with Sakura... and the worst part is... I think they're meant to be together..." Tomoyo trailed off, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. Eriol hesitated at first but wrapped his arms around her slowly.  
  
Tomoyo buried her face into his shoulder. "It's not fair! I love Syaoran so much, but I'll never deserve him! My heart hurts because of this whole thing and of course I can't hate Sakura! She's like a sister to me and I've got to be strong for Syaoran..." Tomoyo trailed off sobbing silently after her last words. Eriol didn't feel very comfortable in this current position, considering this was his enemy, but he shook away the feeling.  
  
"Your happiness is his happiness...?" Eriol asked, the interrogation turning out more like a statement. Tomoyo nodded, still unable to say anything. They stayed like that for a few moments, Eriol sitting on the bench, supporting Tomoyo in his arms. After a few minutes, he realized that Tomoyo had fallen asleep. 'Poor Daidouji. All this emotional stress has gotten her tired.' he thought in pity as he looked at Tomoyo's face.   
  
For the first time, Eriol noticed how pretty Tomoyo really was. She had long eyelashes which complemented her eyes well, open or closed. The features on her face were all perfect in size and shape, going well together. Eriol forced himself to look the other way. 'Well, gotta get her home.' he thought and carefully shifted her position so she was on his back in a piggy back ride.  
  
He slowly walked towards her home, trying to convince himself that this event would have no effect on his and Tomoyo's relationship as enemies.  
  
~*~  
  
"Tomoyo!" Sonomi cried as she rushed to the door, picking up her child. "Thank you, Hiiragizawa, but where did you find her?" she asked, mixed emotions of relief, wonder, and concern on her face. Eriol flushed, not knowing how to explain it. "Well, I found her asleep on a bench in the park and I decided to take her home." he explained, trying to keep a sincere face. Fortunately, Sonomi didn't notice it. "Well, thank you Hiiragizawa!" she cried, extremely relieved to have Tomoyo safe. "No problem Mrs. Daidouji." Eriol said weakly. He bowed to her and said a good-night. She responded back a good-night and Eriol was on his way home.  
  
"Nothing at all, this never took place tonight." he said to himself. Unfortunately, he was having trouble thinking in that manner.  
  
A/N: Hehehehehe, I know that probably sucked as usual, but I enjoyed writing that chapter. Expect things to get fluffier. *evil cackle* You could tell that I got that little Eriol and Tomoyo scene from episode 60 when Tomoyo comforts Meiling and also from episode 66 when Syaoran comforts Sakura. Anyways, please review and please, -please- don't mention this being late. It's only been *counting* 12 days... hehe...? Oh and please tell me how to make the italics and bolding to show up if you know, cause I can't make the stupid thing work. So, preview for next chapter:  
  
*Preview*  
  
-"A teddy bear?" Syaoran asked a bit skeptically, an eyebrow raising. "Yeah, a teddy bear!" Fang-Fei repeated, bouncing excitedly. "If you give one to somebody, that's a sign that you love that person!" Fang-Fei said, even more excitedly. Unexpectedly and a little guiltily, Sakura came to Syaoran's mind...-  


-"Eriol... I love you...?" Meiling said, the statement ended up more like a question. "I'm not quite so sure you love me Meiling." Eriol said, smiling mischievously. "Then..." Meiling began, trailing off. "I'm sure that person will come to you." Eriol said, taking the whole thing a bit too well as if he had known everything. This did not occur to Meiling, considering she was thinking of something else.-  
  
-"About last night..." Tomoyo began but couldn't get the words right. "It never happened." Eriol said simply, regretting that he said that. Tomoyo nodded slowly, although she wanted to say something else entirely different.-  
  
*End Preview*  
  
Please don't kill me for that! Hehe, so just hang on that for a bit. So please review and go easy on flames. 'Til next chapter! Ja ne!


	9. Thinking of You

Learning To Love and Learning From Love  
  


A/N: I CAN'T BELIEVE I REACHED 100 REVIEWS!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO REVIEWED!!! I'M SO HAPPY!!!!! THANK YOU TO ALL THESE PEOPLE:

EyRieya: Oh, please don't kill me! I'm just trying to write the best I can! I know I made Eriol mean but I'm sure he doesn't want to be, hehe. Thanks for reviewing!

cool camzy blue: Yup, those are the couples in the story! I'm glad you find it interesting. Please keep reading!

SAKURA LOVER: Yeah, I'm taking a lot of stuff from CCS *ashamed* I just hope you think it's good. Thanks for the review! Glad you keep up reading!

ardicana: Ooooooooooh, I'm so glad you love it! Thank you for the enthusiastic review!

Card Mistress: Well, Syaoran has the cards... *shrugs* Well, anyways, thanks for reviewing!

rini124: Here's the next chapter! Glad you like it ^_^ Thank you for the review!

kitty kat: Hehe, I'm so glad that many people think it's interesting! Thanks for the review!

kawaiiaznangel36: Yup, complications, complications. Don't worry, I'll untangle them ^_^ Thanks for constantly reviewing!

Lil DragonLex: Well, even if it seems that E+T will take the longest, I'll try to get their confessions in nearly the same. I do think that they'll take the longest especially in developing feelings, hehe. Thanks for reviewing!

SweetAznPnai4eva: Hehe, I'm sure what you said is true and I'm trying to follow your advice as best as I can -_-; Thanks for encouraging me to go on! 

iii_sis: Hehe, why are you sorry? I'm glad you read it at all! Hehe, thanks so much for reviewing all the time!

usal-lover888: I guess the previews are bait for readers, hehe. Not really, though. Thanks for reviewing!

LiL DreameR: Hehe, glad you're liking the story! Thanks for reviewing!

cherrytree: Well, here's the next chapter! I'm glad you like it that much. Never thought that anyone would. Thanks for the review!

I got over 10 reviews this time! Omg, I can't believe it! Thanks to all of you especially the ones that constantly review! I'm glad you all like it and if this is late, as usual, I'm sorry. Well, I'll stop blabbering. Please R+R and Enjoy!

Disclaimer: How stupid of me. I've been forgetting this thing. Well, I don't own CCS or the little scene with Eriol and Meiling in it. They both belong to CLAMP. 

Chapter 9: Thinking of You

"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

~*~ = Scene/time change

~...~ = POV change

-...- = Italicized words  
  


"Last night, my grandma told me a really great and romantic legend!" 

A skeptic look. "Naoko, is it one of your grandmother's stories with ghosts falling in love and stuff?" 

Eyes widened in disbelief. "No! This one's actually is quite interesting for your tastes!" 

Another skeptic look. "Don't tell me your becoming like Takashi." 

A sly smile. "It might show if Yamazaki does love you as much as you love him." 

A light blush. "Okay, go on."

A smirk. "It involves a teddy bear." 

Eyes widen in surprise. "Really? Your grandmother usually doesn't use things like that as subjects of a legend."

Eyes narrow. "It's a real legend! Now listen." 

Full attention. 

A deep breath. "There was a boy and a girl who loved each other dearly but couldn't tell each other."

A bored look. "There's a million stories like that." 

A glare. "Just keep listening!"

A sigh. "Okay, keep talking."

A smile. "They decided that they should show their love through a gift of a teddy bear." 

Intent listening. "Go on."

A smug smile. "They had given each other the bear and were confused at why they had given it to each other. They both found out it was because they loved each other all along."

Disbelief. "Is that it?!"

A smirk. "No. At one point, they had to be separated for a while. They swore each other that if they named the bear they received by the name of the person who they received it from, they'll be together bounded by their love and their destiny is tied."

Dazzling eyes. "It -is- romantic! Such a cute legend!"

Fang-Fei had been listening since the conversation had started. She stared at Chiharu and Naoko, now giggling, wide-eyed at the story she had just heard. A teddy bear... a chain of fate for her and Syaoran. She had to know if it was true. Fang-Fei took a deep breath and strode up to Chiharu and Naoko. She gave a small tap on Naoko's shoulder, whose back was too her. 

Naoko turned to Fang-Fei, her eyes widening at who had just tapped her shoulder. "L-Li, is anything wrong?" Naoko asked with Chiharu gaping behind her. They both knew. Everyone did. Fang-Fei had never really gotten close to anyone but Syaoran. Not even Meiling despite the fact that Meiling was her own cousin. Whenever she -did- have something to say to anyone, the conversation would usually be composed of a "Don't get near my Syaoran" and an "okay" or something of that sort.

"Nothing's wrong..." Fang-Fei finally spoke, after some hesitation, but trailed off. Naoko and Chiharu stared on expectantly. "...but... is that story... true?" Fang-Fei asked, clearly embarrassed. "O-Of course not it's because I think my love with Syaoran is doubtful!" she defended quickly without a response from Naoko. Chiharu and Naoko exchanged glances.

"Well..." Naoko began, not really knowing how to answer her question. "Well?" Fang-Fei inquired impatiently. "I'm sure it's true because everything my grandma tells me is true..." Naoko began, a bit uncertain about her question. Chiharu tried to hide her snort. "And... she told me that the story of the girl and boy was the story of her and herself." Naoko added, a smile crossing her face. 

Fang-Fei's eyes filled with determination. Determination that she'll maybe reveal if the person she loved so much might love her back just as much. Then she realized that Naoko and Chiharu had been watching her. She wrapped up the look of determination and hope back and threw her head back and laughed. "Hahaha! Of course me and Syaoran will be together no matter what!" She then laughed again and turned away from them, her head still up high. Naoko and Chiharu stared after her. "That was... odd." Chiharu stated and Naoko nodded in agreement.

~*~

She walked along the path in deep thought. Of course her and Syaoran were bounded tight. She loved him and he loved her just as much... somehow her heart didn't agree. A sweet, familiar fragrance filled the air and she looked up to her side to find bunches of peonies hanging from a tree. She smiled as she knew just how special peonies were. Just the simple fragrance in the air reminded her of Syaoran. Syaoran...

She just had to do it. She would ask Syaoran for a bear. If he gave her a bear, her dreams would come true for sure. If he didn't...

Flashback

"Syaoran!" a 9 year old Fang-Fei shouted as she ran up to him. "What's wrong Iowa?" he asked coldly, glancing at her. She giggled in response. "And don't you usually call me Xiaolang?" he asked suspiciously. She giggled again. The giggles were starting to grate on his nerves. "Syaoran, you don't have to call me formally anymore!" she announced happily. "Well, I want to." he stated simply and started walking away. She caught on his arm. He turned back to her.

"Syaoran!" she shouted once again, her voice showing signs of frustration. "What is it?" he asked, impatience showing in his voice. "We're to be married when we grow up!" she announced, her voice filled with excitement. He choked and sputtered at the announcement, shocked. 

'But why?!' he thought, looking at the girl smiling happily. She was only part of the Li Clan. Yes, she had magic, but her mother was from the Li Clan. Her father was a non-magic person from a non-magic family. Even if Fang-Fei's father had passed away, -why- would the elders and his mother want him to be married to -her-?

"Promise me you will!" she cried out. He stuttered. He didn't know what to say. He had never spent much time with his cousin before and he even called her by last name. "But if you promise, I'll promise that I'll let you go if you find the person you love best other than me." she said softly, holding out her pinky. He looked at it and hesitantly hook his to hers. With Syaoran's true kindness she had learned of earlier and dashing good looks, it wouldn't be very hard to fall in love with him. Fang-Fei smiled as she looked at their pinky promise. The promise had been made.

End Flashback

And she did. She had fell head over heels in love with him. She had learned to love him. But the question was, had he learned to love her? He never seemed like it, but Fang-Fei had a burning hope in her that he did love her. But if he didn't... if he didn't give a bear in return for her endless love for him... Fang-Fei shook off the thought. A little voice repeated something she had told her Syaoran two years ago.

-"But if you promise, I'll promise that I'll let you go if you find the person you love best other than me..."-

And she would. With much pain. She knew she had to let him go if she loved him so much. She had learned that in courtesy of Tomoyo Daidouji, that girl she had always kept a close eye on. But Syaoran had never shown any sign of interest more than friendship towards her and Tomoyo had barely shown her interest.-Barely.- But if Tomoyo did love Syaoran, she needn't worry. 

Flashback

"Daidouji." Tomoyo turned and found herself eye to eye with Fang-Fei's piercing cerulean eyes. "Hello Iowa." Tomoyo said, giving a smile to her. "Daidouji." Fang-Fei repeated, ignoring Tomoyo's greeting. "Tell me what you feel about Syaoran." Fang-Fei demanded, eyes suspicious. Tomoyo had almost spilt it. She had almost let the blood rush to her cheeks, let the horror show in her eyes, let a gasp out. But she hadn't, fortunately for her. 

"Syaoran's my best friend, and I love him dearly as a friend." Tomoyo stated simply, knowing that what she was stating wasn't true. Fortunately for her, Fang-Fei didn't notice. "Is that all?" Fang-Fei asked, suspicion still lacing her voice. Tomoyo nodded, wondering just how Fang-Fei had found out that if there was someone to be careful of, it should be Tomoyo. 

But Fang-Fei needn't worry.

"So, who do you love?" Fang-Fei asked as she sat down on the bench next to Tomoyo who had been reading a book. (A/N: Hehe, do you notice that I use benches a lot with scenes of Tomoyo? Ok, sorry for the interruption.) "Someone." Tomoyo said teasingly, smiling at Fang-Fei. "Daidouji... I'm warning you... if it's Syaoran-" Fang-Fei started but Tomoyo cut her off. "Don't worry, it's not him." she assured, trying with all her might to hide the truth once again. Fortunately for Tomoyo, it worked again. 

"But, it doesn't matter if the person I love doesn't love me back." Tomoyo said wistfully. Fang-Fei gaped at her. "What are you talking about? You should go for your love!" she pressed on, not believing how incredibly strange Tomoyo was. "No. I know he'll never be mine. But I don't need his love. His happiness is mine." Tomoyo said, regretting that she had said the first part. To her luck, Fang-Fei was too shocked too notice that the description kind of matched her Syaoran. 

"So what your saying is that your happiness is fed by the happiness of your loved one, no matter who you're loved one is with." Fang-Fei said, confused at how Tomoyo would be able to do that. Tomoyo giggled. "Yup, that's happiness enough for me." Tomoyo declared and got up from her seat. "See you later Iowa." she said and walked off, her heart not really agreeing to what she had said. It was hard, yes very hard for one to live off another's happiness.

Fang-Fei didn't really notice when Tomoyo left. She sat, her mind repeating what Tomoyo had said. She thought of Syaoran and the promise had come back to her. If she loved Syaoran so much... she would have to let him go if he had found another to love...

End Flashback

And since Fang-Fei did love Syaoran more than life itself, she'd let him go, but not without pain. It would hurt a lot to see him with another girl in his arms. It would hurt plenty. But Fang-Fei would rather go through that pain than to see Syaoran tied with her, forever bounded by love that he doesn't even have for her. But she would rather have it so Syaoran would love -her.-

The teddy bear would be a test, a test to see just how much Syaoran really did love her. She had to have it that way or she'll have to see him go. She shook her head. She had been thinking too hard for the past half-hour. Suddenly, she realized that she had reached her small mansion. Since her husband had passed away, her mother had a chance to be back as an official Li family but she had declined, remaining loyal to her husband. She even decided to remain in the small mansion despite the fact that the Li manor was still a lot bigger. Fang-Fei wouldn't have really minded living in the Li manor if it meant that she could spend more time with Syaoran.

Fang-Fei went in through the front door, still in deep thought. Tomorrow at school, she would talk to Syaoran and ask for a bear. She didn't want to tell him today since she was a bit tired after walking around the town all day. The sun had started setting and Fang-Fei sat on her bed, staring out the window at the bright sun sinking behind the horizon. 

She didn't know why she was so troubled at heart. She was sure Syaoran would get her the doll... wasn't she? She sighed and continued watching the sinking sun, her thoughts twirling around Syaoran, a bear, her love, his love, and maybe even a bit about a certain emerald-eyed girl with short auburn hair and a big smile.

~*~

'I'm gonna do it today! ...Even if my heart won't be that into it..." Meiling thought as she paced around her room back and forth. The sky was still a darkish blue with hints of pink and yellow in the distance. Meiling had been up before dawn and had been dressed since hours before. She couldn't sleep a wink since she had decided to admit her love to Eriol -today.- She sighed as she went out onto the balcony watching the sun slowly rising in the horizon. She sighed heavily.

"What the heck are you doing up so early?" Feimei asked as she approached Meiling suspiciously. "B-Big sister?! What are -you- doing up so early?" Meiling asked, surprised at her usually lazy sister's earliness. Then Meiling started giggling due to the fact that her supposedly "cooler" older sister was dressed in pajamas while she, herself, were in her school uniform, washed up and ready to go. Feimei glared at Meiling. "What exactly does that supposed to mean?" she asked, her eyes narrowed at Meiling, ready to explode. Meiling just shook her head. "It's nothing." she mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"What's going on here?" a masculine voice asked as the person entered the door. Feimei brightened up as Meiling froze, dreading the moment. "Touya! Good morning!" Feimei yelled loudly, excitement bursting from her voice. "Good morning." Touya said nonchalantly and kept his eyes on Meiling. Again, Meiling looked into his eye. She had made another mistake.

She could feel herself almost sinking into his eyes, the dark color surrounding her. It was uncomfortable yet very relaxing. "What are you doing up so early again?" he suddenly asked, snapping Meiling back to reality. Before she could look into his absorbing eyes once again, she swiftly turned toward the horizon. Her breath caught in her throat as the sun was halfway up. 

Bright colors spread from the light making the scene look gorgeous. A small smile lit across her face as she stared, mesmerized by the sunrise. 'I have seen a million sunrises before in my life...' Meiling thought in wonder, her eyes glimmering. 'I must have never gazed at one at this point before.' she concluded, agreeing that this was beautiful.

Suddenly she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She whirled to find Touya looking at her in concern. She closed her eyes to keep herself from looking at it, -again.- "Are you okay? Why are you awake so early again?" he asked as he looked down at her. Feimei watched from the back, caught in a feeling between mad and amused. 

Meiling finally opened her eyes to look at him. She looked down after a moment. "I... just felt like waking up early." she mumbled, feeling very uncomfortable in this situation where his hand was firmly gripping her shoulder and he was looking directly at her. "Is there something bothering you?" Touya asked softly and incredibly gently. "No." she confirmed, trying to sound as sincere as possible. 

Touya sighed. He knew it was no use. He had found the members of this tough Chinese family stubborn. There was no way Meiling could be any less stubborn. But when Meiling had looked up into Touya's eyes, he had seen doubt, confusion, fear... whatever was going on in that mind of hers had to be serious, especially if she had insomnia for a few days straight now. He desperately wanted to help her but he didn't know how especially if he didn't even know what the problem was... and the worse part was he didn't know why he cared so much. She was just a little kid like his sister and he hadn't even gotten attached to any other family members that much. It was all confusing and some of the confusion had caused him mild insomnia.

Touya finally released his hold on Meiling's shoulder and turned to leave. He suddenly stopped next to Feimei and looked at her for a while, confusion sketched on his face. "What the heck are you wearing?" he asked after a moment and Feimei just blushed in embarrassment. "Hehe... I, uh... my pajamas." she finally said, her hand to the back of her head. Touya sweatdropped and strode out of the room. 

Feimei sighed then turned to Meiling who was still looking to the ground, utterly confused and lost. "Meiling." Meiling looked up and saw Feimei smiling or smirking at her. She couldn't tell. "I think someone has a thing for you." Feimei said slyly. Meiling raised an eyebrow. "What?" Meiling asked, not quite catching on no matter how perceptive she can sometimes be. "You'll know what I mean soon." Feimei told her and went back to her room to dress into her school uniform. "What the hell..." Meiling muttered, staring after her weird, hopelessly romantic sister. She shook her head and turned back to the sunrise which was almost up now. 

~*~

"WHAT?!?!?!" a loud scream made its way around the whole Daidouji mansion. Servants, butlers, and maids looked up from their job, all wondering what in the world had possessed the calm and polite Tomoyo Daidouji to scream so loud. "Tomoyo!" Sakura shouted, covering her ears from the loud shrill sound of Tomoyo's scream. 

Tomoyo took a moment to take a deep breath and calm down. "Sorry Sakura... could you repeat that again?" Tomoyo asked, hoping with all her might that she had heard wrong. But the chances were against her. Tomoyo had no memory of returning home herself whatsoever. But she can still hope, can't she? It just couldn't be...

"I said, last night, Hiiragizawa brought you home in a piggy-back ride saying he found you asleep on a bench at the park. Is everything okay Tomoyo?" Sakura repeated gently, her inquiry filled with concern. Tomoyo nodded, but she was looking very pale at the moment. "Tomoyo? You're looking -really- pale!" Sakura exclaimed, starting to panic. "No, I'm fine Sakura." Tomoyo reassured, falling into a thinking mode.

Damn. She just had lost her pride. Of course she remembered her run in with Eriol clearly and she couldn't help but fall asleep because of all the emotion pain her heart had been yielding. Now she would have to hear her enemy rejoicing at her little confession and she had spilled the key to her emotion pain. Now Eriol knew it all and who knew if he'd use it for blackmail? But nonetheless she had to... thank him and apologize. 

She gulped.

It wasn't a very easy thing to do. Actually if Tomoyo had a list of 'The Most Hardest Things To Do Ever', 'Apologizing/thanking/admitting to Hiiragizawa' would be in the top three. "Tomoyo, I'll go and get ready." Sakura said and got a nod from Tomoyo before dashing out of the room. Tomoyo buried her face in her hands. This would be a very embarrassing afternoon, but Tomoyo couldn't just let it go by. She heaved a sigh and heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" she asked and her mother came in. "Mother, good morning." Tomoyo said, surprised that her mother had come by. She usually waited for Tomoyo at the breakfast table. 

"Tomoyo, is everything alright?" Sonomi asked hesitantly. Tomoyo nodded her head, the fact that everyone thought that something was wrong was starting to grate on her nerves... Well something was wrong but nobody really needed to know... "Are you sure?" Sonomi pressed on, the concern radiating from her. Tomoyo nodded her head vigorously. There was a moment of silence while Sonomi seemed to be studying Tomoyo very carefully. "You're lying." Sonomi concluded.

"What's wrong?" Sonomi asked again, her voice now firm. Tomoyo shook her head again. "Nothing's wrong." she confirmed again. "Is it about..." Sonomi began then stopped. She knew that Tomoyo was just as stubborn as her in... that aspect. What else could be bothering Tomoyo? It sure bothered Sonomi. It was a very painful experience and Sonomi never wanted to experience it again...

Flashback

A small piece of paper fluttered to the floor. A frozen Sonomi fell to the floor on her knees. Tears darkened the carpet as they fell from her eyes. "How could he..." she whispered as her heart shattered into a million pieces. She reread the note to make sure that this couldn't be real... it just couldn't be. Her life was perfect... why?

Dearest Sonomi,

I love you very much. You know that... but I don't think you may truly realize that you love me as much as I truly realize love you... please forgive me for this. I -will- return after you have learned to love me. You can expect that. But not for a very long time. Please take good care of Tomoyo for us and remember that I will always love you.

Love, Konoko

She ripped the note up in half and let the piece fall... she didn't believe a bit of that shit. "What kind of an idiot expects me to learn to love him when I won't even be seeing him? I -do- love him for crying out loud! He just wants to leave this place... well let him leave." she whispered harshly, anger and sadness filling her heart. Of course she realized that she loved him.... that was why she married him... right?

'No...' she thought and she knew it wasn't. She had seen everyone around her age getting married. Her cousin Nadeshiko at age 16, her other cousins around her, her friends... everyone. She wanted to get married so badly but nobody had ever learned to love her with her nasty attitude and her air of importance. Except Konoko. When he had proposed to her, she jumped at the chance and she finally realized that she didn't marry from love... but if she didn't really love him... why was her heart aching so badly?

She looked over to one year old Tomoyo. She was a beautiful child with a patch of dark gray hair and big, lovely amethyst eyes. Sonomi's anger flared again. How could he just leave them with her daughter to still grow up? He was her -father.- She might even grow up without him. But Sonomi knew that he wouldn't come back. She looked over to Tomoyo firmly. 'I swear, my dear Tomoyo, that I won't ever let you get hurt by a man... or love. I swear.' Sonomi vowed, staring hard at the baby that was all hers now. To raise on her own.

End Flashback

And what scared Sonomi was that she might have really, truly loved her husband. Wait, no, ex-husband. There had never been a day when her heart hadn't ached from that. Tomoyo had asked many times when she was younger about her father and where he was. Sonomi had barely managed to force back the tears. Sonomi had simply answered divorce. This had saddened Tomoyo and this may have pushed Tomoyo a bit away from Sonomi but Sonomi couldn't bear to face the truth let alone tell Tomoyo about it.

"Mother?" Tomoyo asked, worried about the deep and lost look her mother had in her eyes for the past minute. Sonomi's attention snapped back and she found Tomoyo staring at her, concerned etched on her face. "Oh, Tomoyo. Yes, let's go down to breakfast." her mother said a bit hurriedly and got up on her feet from her sitting position on Tomoyo's bed.

Tomoyo nodded and got up also and mother and daughter strode down to the dining room.

~*~

"It was very strange, Sakura... Mother was just staring into space with a wistful look. After I got her attention, she was in a bit of a rush and announced that we should hurry and get down to breakfast." Tomoyo said, concern for her mother etched on her face again. Sakura listened intently, concern and curiosity etched on her face as well. Sakura thought for a moment. "I think a memory from long ago was maybe coming back to Aunt Sonomi and maybe she was lost in the thought of that." Sakura suggested and Tomoyo had to smile. Despite Sakura's usual density, she could just be right. But what could be troubling Tomoyo's strong mother...

"Oh, good morning Hiiragizawa!" Sakura suddenly shout out. Tomoyo's shoulders stiffened and she almost stopped her walking. "Good morning Kinomoto." Eriol greeted back, avoiding eye contact with Tomoyo. "GOOD MORNING!!!" a shrill voice shouted and the two turned to find Nakuru in a cheerful mood as usual. 

"Hoe? Who's that?" Sakura whispered to Tomoyo. "Tomoyo-chan!!! Hi!!! And you!!! You're so kawaii, just like Tomoyo-chan!" Nakuru shouted, grabbing Sakura in a death grip. "Tomoyo-chan? What's the -chan for?" Sakura whispered/choked out to Tomoyo. "Oh, well you see, little Chinese speaker, in Japanese, they add honorific endings to names! Now what's you're name?" Nakuru asked in one breath, letting go of Sakura. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sakura." she answered, hoping that this hyper girl wouldn't shout again or hug her in a death grip. But Sakura liked her cheerfulness though. "OH!!!" Nakuru shouted, causing Sakura to cover her half-deaf ears. "You're Japanese aren't you 'cause Japanese people have names like those and I like your name 'cause it means cherry blossom which are very pretty flowers." Nakuru said all in one breath once more. Sakura smiled nervously and Tomoyo giggled.

Despite the fact that she and Eriol were sworn enemies, Tomoyo never had a problem liking Nakuru. It was almost impossible to hate Nakuru. She smiled to herself and while she saw Nakuru blabbering off to Sakura, she noticed Eriol waiting for Nakuru to be finished. 

Tomoyo would hate to do this, but she had to.

She walked up to Eriol quietly and very hesitantly. "Um... Hiiragizawa..." Tomoyo began and Eriol turned to look at her fidgeting with her hands behind her back and staring at the ground. Eriol stared on, wondering just what she had to say. Then it hit him. Last night came to his mind and he wanted to run. She would probably either yell at him or laugh at him even though he should be the one laughing. But today, he didn't feel like yelling or laughing or fighting with Tomoyo.

"About last night..." Tomoyo began but couldn't get the words right. "It never happened." Eriol said simply, regretting that he said that. Tomoyo nodded slowly, although she wanted to say something else entirely different. But she couldn't say it. It just wasn't her in the situation of her and Eriol. She nodded more firmly this time and walked away from him to find that Nakuru had stopped blabbering.

"Let's go now!" Nakuru announced and started marching towards her school. Sakura, who was a bit in a 'hoe' mood, and Tomoyo followed Nakuru followed by Eriol who was staying behind. Tomoyo started fuming as she thought about what had just happened. 'Bastard. If he doesn't want a thank you, he won't get a thank you.' Tomoyo thought haughtily.

But she also felt sad that he didn't want to talk about last night or anything. He didn't want to be in her life and didn't want her in his. Why was Tomoyo feeling so sad about that?

~*~

'Take a deep breath Fang-Fei. Just breathe.' Fang-Fei thought to herself as she approached Syaoran. She didn't know why she was feeling so nervous. Syaoran loved her. She knew it for sure. But why was she so nervous about asking her -fiancé- for a small teddy bear- a representative of his love for her. She stepped up to Syaoran who was sitting in his desk, staring at nothing in particular. 

She took a deep breath. "Syaoran." she said and he turned to Fang-Fei with a grunt. "I-I want a teddy bear!" Fang-Fei blurted out, getting a few people to look at her. She didn't care. She was getting more apprehensive as the seconds passed. "A teddy bear?" Syaoran asked a bit skeptically, an eyebrow raising. "Yeah, a teddy bear!" Fang-Fei repeated, bouncing excitedly. "If you give one to somebody, that's a sign that you love that person!" Fang-Fei said, even more excitedly. Unexpectedly and a little guiltily, Sakura came to Syaoran's mind...

"So, will you?" Fang-Fei asked and Syaoran sighed. "If you say so Fang-Fei." he mumbled and got nearly knocked over by Fang-Fei's force. Fang-Fei was hanging onto Syaoran and jumping up and down. "Syaoran, you're the best!" she cheered and the door opened to find Sakura, Tomoyo, and Eriol about to enter and they came across this little scene.

They were used to it by now well at least Tomoyo and Eriol were. But nonetheless, Tomoyo would feel a strike on her heart when she saw Fang-Fei hanging onto Syaoran. Sakura looked at the scene and felt a little, painful twitch in her chest. Even if it was little, it hurt. Sakura ignored it and the fact that Fang-Fei was hanging all over Syaoran.

Syaoran looked over to see Sakura was a bit withdrawn. He felt his heart ache a little as he watched Sakura in a not-so-cheerful mood. It almost mesmerized him and make him even feel sad. "Syaoran!" Fang-Fei shouted, her hand waving in front of his face. "Huh?" he grunted and found Fang-Fei glaring at him. "You're going to get the bear, right?" she demanded and Syaoran slowly nodded, his mind still on Sakura.

"Home room's starting!" somebody announced in the class and everyone scrambled to their seats. Syaoran sat down and felt Sakura's sad and withdrawn gaze. He didn't know what it was and he didn't know her very well, but he wanted to make her feel better. Badly.

~*~

"Meiling! Stop eating so fast! You'll choke!" Naoko demanded while the other girls just stared at Meiling eating at world record eating speed. "Sorry... I have to... go do something... after I eat." Meiling explained, in-between bites and drinks of tea. After a few more minutes, Meiling's plate and cup were empty and she discarded the trash. "Sorry, gotta go do something!" Meiling said and ran off, leaving the girls staring after her. "What's -that- all about?" Chiharu asked. Nobody knew... except maybe Tomoyo did.

~*~

"Um... Eriol... can I talk to you?" Meiling asked hesitantly and Eriol nodded, a smile lighting his face. Surprisingly, it didn't make her heart flutter as usual. Meiling joined Eriol on the steps of the school. She took a deep breath of fresh autumn air and glanced over at Eriol who had a calm smile on his face. Meiling gulped and began.

"Eriol... I love you...?" Meiling said, the statement ended up more like a question. "I'm not quite so sure you love me Meiling." Eriol said, smiling mischievously. "Then..." Meiling began, trailing off. "I'm sure that person will come to you." Eriol said, taking the whole thing a bit too well as if he had known everything. This did not occur to Meiling, considering she was thinking of something else.

Meiling nodded slowly as dark eyes came to her mind. She shook it off and looked at Eriol "So... are you saying I never really loved you?" Meiling asked, smiling weakly. Eriol nodded with calm eyes but an ominously hidden mischievous touch to them. "I guess you could say it was just a big infatuation." Eriol answered smiling at Meiling. 

That made her suspect just a little that Eriol knew all about her love for him. She nodded thoughtfully again. The effects that Touya had on her were stronger than what Eriol ever had on her. Meiling Li was just rejected by the person she had thought she had loved... and it didn't really hurt. She dismissed the thought before she could get a headache. But a thought came to her.

'If this was an infatuation... then what's real love?'

~*~

Step by step. Minute by minute. Syaoran got closer to the craft shop. And the closer he got, the more he doubted telling Fang-Fei he'd get her one. Teddy bears are valuable... they had to be given to the person you love... and Syaoran wasn't so sure he really wanted to give it to someone that he loved as a cousin. Again, emerald eyes came to him. Syaoran shook his head. 'Why is that girl always coming to my mind?' Syaoran thought, annoyed. But he had to admit, those eyes were so innocent... enchanting... beautiful. Syaoran shook his head again. "Damn." he grunted and kept on walking.

As Syaoran was walking, he wasn't looking in front of him. At the same time, a man wasn't looking where he was going either. The two collided. "Oh, I'm sorry." Syaoran apologized and looked up to see a man that reminded him very much of someone. "No, that okay. I apologize." the man insisted and Syaoran nodded. But what he really was thinking about was how he resembled so much of Tomoyo, his best friend with his amethyst eyes and dark gray hair covered his head. 

"Okay, good-bye sir." Syaoran said politely and walked off. The man walked the other direction. The thought never crossed Syaoran's mind again the rest of the way.

~*~

"What to choose... what to choose..." Syaoran was trying to choose among the assortment of bear kits with different results. He couldn't find one for Fang-Fei. Then one caught his eyes. He looked at it and, to his horror, realized that it was -her- again. The fur of the bear was honey-brow/auburn and an emerald green ribbon was tied around its neck. It was perfect for her...

Syaoran reached out for it, but suddenly quickly withdrew his hand. 'The bear's not for her you idiot.' he told himself. He barely knew the girl. How the hell would he be in love with her? How to answer that question was impossible for Syaoran to answer. 

He busied himself again to find Fang-Fei's bear. He finally found one that -might- suit Fang-Fei... but... Syaoran couldn't do it. He put the box back on the shelf and walked away, wondering to himself what the -heck- he was doing walking away from Fang-Fei's wish.

~End of Chapter

A/N: That was a long chapter! Damn, I didn't know I could write 6000 words in a single chapter. Anyways, I hope that satisfied you all! It's 12:20 right now and I'm damn sleepy. Anyways, I know I added a lot of weird things to this chapter, especially with Sonomi's husband thing. Just felt I needed to add that although it's really weird. I hope the story in the beginning of the chapter made sense... hehe, I know it's weird. I hope you liked it! Am I late? I t doesn't feel that late to me... oh well. Here is the preview for next chapter

*Preview*

-"Okay, Li and Kinomoto and Daidouji and Hiiragizawa, will you do our school the honors of performing in the musical duet contest?" Mr. Terada asked and the four gaped at him in horror. "I guess that's a yes." he assumed while everyone stared at the four who were in too much of a shock to decline his decision.-

-"I'll help you." Touya offered as he watched Meiling struggle with her math homework. "No, that's okay! I'm usually good at math... it's just that these problems are hard." Meiling insisted and Touya smiled at her, making her go weak in the knees. "Well, I'll help you on these." he said and Meiling didn't argue.-

-"So you decided to show up now when Tomoyo is already 11 years old?" Sonomi asked coldly, glaring at her ex-husband/husband.-

-"Hey, it's not like I want to work with you!" Tomoyo shouted angrily at Eriol. He glared back venom. "Don't start with me Daidouji." he warned ominously.-

-"So... do you have any musical talent?" Syaoran asked, trying to work up a conversation. "Well... I can sing..." Sakura trailed off, not sure about her answer. "I'm sure it would sound really nice." Syaoran said automatically then covered his mouth, embarrassed.-

-"You didn't get me one? WHY?!?!" Fang-Fei exploded, shaking Syaoran. "I was going to get you one today. I had plans yesterday." Syaoran lied. Fang-Fei let him go, a frown on her face. "And don't get to close to Kinomoto." she said warned. "WHAT?!?!"-

*End Preview*

Okay, so there were more previews than usual. I felt I needed that much, hehe. Again, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review and go easy on the flames! 'Til next chapter! Ja ne!


	10. Inescapable From You

Learning To Love and Learning From Love

A/N: Sorry for the [very] late updating. Trying to finish the last chapter of "Aishiteru" so it'll probably be a long time before the next chapter of this is out @_@. I'm just gonna start on this chapter a bit because I am damn tired of writing anymore of "Aishiteru" today. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!!! I love all of you!!! Now that I'm so lazy, I'll include a thank you list in the next chapter. Ok, so, let's get on with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own a [thing] of Cardcaptor Sakura. *Sigh* CLAMP does.

"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

~*~ = Scene/time change

[...] = Italicized words

Chapter 10: Inescapable From You  
  


Syaoran gulped nervously as he closed the door behind him. No sign of Fang-Fei yet. He relaxed a bit but jumped a bit when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Syaoran? Is there something wrong?" Syaoran turned to find Meiling looking at him in concern. Syaoran looked at her uncertainly. If he told Meiling about Fang-Fei and her demand, Meiling would go ballistic. A huge cat fight would spring up between Fang-Fei and Meiling about ordering Syaoran around. 

"It's nothing." Syaoran finally replied getting an uncertain look in return. "Alright." Meiling said and made a motion to start walking to school. Syaoran solemnly nodded back and the two started quietly walking down the peaceful neighborhood toward the direction of their school. Meiling wrapped her coat a bit tighter around her. The autumn chill was starting to settle in faster.

"Hey! You forgot this!" a voice behind them yelled. The two turned to find that Touya was running towards them. Meiling flustered a bit while Syaoran's eyes narrowed. When Touya reached the two, he glared back at Syaoran. "I wasn't talking to you, brat." said Touya and turned his gaze back to Meiling, his eyes softening. 

"You forgot this." Touya told her, placing her lunch in her hands. "Great going Meiling. It's the fifth time this week." Syaoran remarked, looking at Meiling skeptically. Touya sent a small glare toward Syaoran but Meiling didn't exactly hear. "And when did you decide to become a nanny?" Syaoran asked, still skeptical, raising an eyebrow at Touya. Touya scowled in return.

"Who made this?" Meiling finally spoke up, staring down at the lunch. Of course her sister, herself and occasionally her mother made a lunch for her, but this time Meiling apparently forgot and her sister and mother never wrapped it like this. "Well, I did..." replied Touya, a bit flustered. He looked to Syaoran and continued. "I made yours too, brat." he mumbled in return of the smirk Syaoran was sending toward him.

"T-Thank you." Meiling simply said, shocked that he would do something like this for [her.] Touya smiled back softly. "No problem kid." he replied gently and gave a pat to Meiling's head. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to mind. "Now I've got to get ready." announced Touya and he ran back to the house. Meiling stared after his retreating back. Syaoran studied her with intense amber eyes.

"I thought you loved Hiiragizawa." Syaoran finally stated, breaking the silence that was starting to settle in. "What?" Meiling asked, finally coming back to Earth. "I said that I thought you loved Hiiragizawa." Syaoran repeated, his eyes holding a mix of amusement and slight suspicion. "Oh... well I told him that I loved him yesterday." replied Meiling, in a nonchalant tone as if it was nothing big at all. Syaoran gaped at her.

"Well... did Hiiragizawa hurt you?! I'll go beat him up for you!" Syaoran suddenly said, his eyes looking angry. Meiling just smiled weakly. "No Syaoran, Eriol didn't hurt me... he just said that I never really loved him." Syaoran scoffed and Meiling gave a warning glare at him then continued. "He said it was all a big infatuation and I'll eventually come to really love another person." she finished, looking like she was in deep thought. Syaoran glanced at her uncertainly.

"Well... do you think it could be Kinomoto?" Syaoran cautiously asked Meiling. She flustered quite a bit and looked to Syaoran. "Syaoran! He's seven years older than me! Do you actually think that I would love someone that much older than me?" she asked, still flustered and a step away from going crazy. "The other half of Clow Reed other than Hiiragizawa married someone nine years younger than himself." Syaoran pointed out, looking at Meiling.

She flustered even more. "Well... this is different." she concluded and looked to her watch. "Syaoran, I think we should get going." Meiling warned and started rapidly walking. Syaoran glanced at his watch. He looked up at Meiling's quickly retreating back, sighing. "Meiling! We're still early to school!" he shouted out after her and shook his head.

~*~

"Annual Musical Duet Contest." Sakura read out loud, staring at the flyer in her hand. Her eyes scanned the paper, occasionally pulling her coat tighter around her. She and Tomoyo had been walking to school as usual but they had found an interesting flyer lying on the ground. "Oh that thing." Tomoyo finally said after a moment of studying the flyer. 

"What is it?" Sakura asked Tomoyo, her eyes glued to the flyer which had pictures of instruments and notes. "It's a contest that is held every year between elementary schools around this area. In each school, two pairs are supposed to be picked from each grade to perform in the contest, a boy and a girl." Tomoyo explained, Sakura's eyes now glued to Tomoyo. Sakura then smiled.

"I bet it would be nice contest to watch." gushed Sakura since she was fond of music. "It is a great contest to see except those boring performances." Tomoyo said, placing the flyer back on the ground where the two had found it. Sakura nodded and the two walked off to school, all thoughts of the contest soon cleared out of their mind... 

~*~

"No one signed up?" Mr. Terada asked the school office lady. She sadly shook her head in return. "What am I going to do?" he asked, his voice holding a worried tone. "Fifth graders tend to be shy." the lady stated, going back to her paper work. "You'll just have to choose any pair randomly." she told him, her eye contact still on her papers.

"That's a great idea!" he said, brightening up. "Who are you going to choose?" she asked in curiosity, finally looking up at him. Mr. Terada brought a hand up to his chin, thinking of all the people. "Well... Daidouji Tomoyo has a wonderful singing voice... and Hiiragizawa Eriol has great piano skills. I'm sure they'd make a great pair." he mused, his eyes looking upward.

He rummaged through all his students in is mind. Which one would make a great duet together? He had never heard any skills from the rest of his students so he would have to just choose two people. Li Syaoran came to his mind instantly. He was usually quiet and never showed much of himself. This would be a good experience for him. One down, one to go.

Who would make a great team with Li? He listed off all the girls in his class. Mihara? No, not a great match. Yanagisawa? No, not a great match either. Sasaki? Mr. Terada inwardly blushed. No, definitely not. Kinomoto? Perfect! She was new and would make a great match for Li. This would also be a great experience fo her. Perfect.

~*~

"And when the moon went up to the sun-" Chiharu interrupted. "Takashi, shut up." she commanded him, sighing. "But I was getting to the best part!" Takashi protested, looking at Chiharu with a puppy-dog face. She shook her head, stopping him from going on. Sakura and Syaoran sat there, amazed at his latest story. Takashi smiled inwardly. He never ceased to amaze them. 

Meiling looked to Syaoran and Sakura and shook her head. 'And I thought my brother was the only gullible one.' she thought, looking at the two. Fang-Fei sat there, never really listening to Takashi's story. She was staring intently at Syaoran, wanting something really badly. And she was starting to doubt if he actually got her a teddy bear. That couldn't be it...

Syaoran could feel her expectant gaze on him. He could almost feel her eyes burning a hole through him. But he wouldn't look at her. He just pretended that he didn't know just how hardly she was staring at him, her eyes fierce and sharp. He was afraid. He was afraid that if he looked at her, the truth would spill out. He didn't get the doll for her. And for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to get it.

The students scattered to their seats as the door slid open to reveal Mr. Terada. "Good morning students." he greeted, sliding the door closed behind him and walking up to his front desk. He could feel 30 pairs of eyes glued on him, one in particular which he tried to ignore. He couldn't help but feel ashamed. How could a teacher fall in love with his own student? It was abnormal and such a... wicked thing to do. But nonetheless he had and regretted it. He took out the role sheet to mark the absent people and, for heaven sakes, get his mind off Rika Sasaki, the student he fell in love with.

While, somewhere else in the back of the classroom, Sakura happened to look towards Rika's direction. The girl she had been introduced to a bit ago had been

very mature person in Sakura's view. At first glance, it would seem like Rika was just looking toward the teacher and listening like a regular good student. On second glance, you would see her blushing. 

Sakura had seen the blush and was expectantly confused by it. She stared at Rika, trying to figure out what she was blushing at. "Kinomoto?" Sakura looked over to who had called out to her. It was Eriol Hiiragizawa. "Yes?" she answered, trying to keep quiet so the teacher would hear. "What are you looking so intensely at?" he asked, an unreadable expression on his face. "Oh... nothing." Sakura answered back nervously, blushing a little at her obviousness. Eriol smiled back another unreadable smile. "Okay then." he assured, turning back to face the teacher. "Hoe?" Sakura responded.

Syaoran had heard the conversation behind him and he didn't like it. He didn't like his feelings even more. What was this feeling that was burning inside of him while he had listened to Eriol's concerns towards Sakura. It wasn't anything familiar that's for sure. Sakura, this slightly clumsy scaredy-cat, made him feel emotions he had never ever felt before. He hated the way she made him feel... and worst of all, he didn't hate [her] at all.

"Students" Mr. Terada said at last, putting away the role sheet. "We have the musical duet contest coming up." he continued, catching everyone's full attention. Some of the students were excited and the others were... well... praying that he didn't choose them. 

A small smile came to Sakura's face. She would love to see who would get picked for the two duets. Then a thought crossed her mind. A slightly sad expression replaced the smile as she pictured Syaoran and Fang-Fei performing a wonderful duet. Sakura shook her head a bit. 'W-Why am I thinking about him.' she thought a bit nervously, a smile trying to overtake the frown. The result was a sad smile.

Little did she know that Eriol Hiiragizawa was watching her from the corner of his eyes. He gave out a small, sly smile. 'Looks like she's going through some confusing feelings for Li.' he thought slyly, still watching her with a careful eye. He had also been keeping a close eye on his cute little descendant. 'He has also been keeping confused feelings for her concealed as well...' Eriol observed, the smile growing just a little menacingly larger. He loved situations like these. 

Mr. Terada cleared his throat. "Okay, Li and Kinomoto and Daidouji and Hiiragizawa, will you do our school the honors of performing in the musical duet contest?" Mr. Terada asked and the four gaped at him in horror. "I guess that's a yes." he assumed while everyone stared at the four who were in too much of a shock to decline his decision.

He looked down to the application in front of him and was about to write their names. "Wait!" Tomoyo yelled hurriedly, desperate to change the teacher's mind. "Yes Daidouji?" Mr. Terada asked, looking up in question to Tomoyo. "I think that you should give someone else a chance... I mean, I wouldn't want to perform but someone else might." The class blinked back at her in response.

"No Daidouji, I'm sure your perfect for the job." he assured her, positioning to write again. "B-But..." Tomoyo started helplessly, looking ready to give up and just die. "Daidouji, you're perfect for the job." he reassured a bit sternly. Tomoyo, having no choice, hung her head and gave in. Working with Hiiragizawa Eriol would literally be a nightmare in hell.

~*~

"For today, it's a science lab experiment." the professor announced, ignoring the wave of groans that washed over the class. But Touya didn't mind. Even though the orphanage didn't teach much of anything, just basics, including science, science and chemistry came along surprisingly well for Touya. The students were amazed at his skills and even more amazed at the fact that he was raised in an orphanage and was now "adopted" and going to an actual school. This gave the girls more reason to swoon over him.

"But just for this time, pair up in partners with the person behind you." he commanded, giving into the students. He sighed and swore that he never saw a lazier bunch of teenagers. The students were expectantly happy but the small group around Touya Kinomoto were a bit disappointed, especially the girls. It wasn't that nobody else was smarter but Touya was the best chemist in class and one of the most "cutest" boys according to the girls. But no one would complain if she got Yukito Tsukishiro either.

Touya looked ahead and saw that his row paired up perfectly. That would mean he would be working with... Feimei Li. He sighed and turned around in his seat. Feimei gave back an unusually gentle smile. "Come on Kinomoto." she gently commanded, getting up out of her seat to the chemistry table. He looked at her with raised eyebrows. She usually called him by Touya. "Come on." she repeated, now more urging. Touya got up and followed her wordlessly.

They started to work silently, experimenting with the chemicals cautiously. "You know," Feimei finally said, starting a conversation. "You seem to like Meiling a lot." she finished with a sly smile. Touya's face remained the same, but his face reddened just a tiny bit. "Yeah and..." he asked a bit [too] nonchalantly. "That could happen you know." he stated, giving Feimei a look.

"Well it's obvious you like Meiling a lot more than you like Xiaolang or me." she pointed out, giving Touya a look back. This didn't affect him... much. "Well, what if she's nicer than both of you. I mean, the brat is a lot more ruder than she is." he said bitterly, imagining Syaoran's offensive glare. Feimei chuckled. "Meiling's not [that] nice, first of all. She just likes you a lot." She paused to see that Touya had gone a bit more redder. She smiled then continued. "And second of all, Xiaolang's rude to people that are rude to him." she finished, seeing that an annoyed look had crossed Touya's face.

"And Meiling doesn't care that much about many people. She usually has a mouthful of things to say to a lot of people. She doesn't talk easily around you, but it's clear how much she cares about you." Feimei said gently, softening up a large amount. Touya swallowed a bit and looked at Feimei with a cautious eye, as if sealing off all emotions as much as possible. 

"What does she look at me as." he inquired, almost demandingly. Feimei looked at him almost in surprise. "Does she look at me as a brother or a father or what?" he asked again, this time shifting his gaze to the floor. She smiled again slyly. This was starting to make Touya a tad bit nervous. "I'm not really sure. Why don't we find out for ourselves." said Feimei, an evil glint entering her eye. Touya didn't like that look. And even more, he didn't get what she was saying at all. 

The two worked on in silence, the sly smirk still planted on Feimei's face and the confused expression still locked on Touya's face. Then Feimei started talking again. "Meiling may seem like a tough girl on the outside, but I know she has a soft heart. And soft hearts are usually crushed with ease." she told him, looking up into his face. Touya stayed silent, working with the formulas. But Feimei knew he was listening.

"And Xiaolang and Tomoyo are very protective. If you hurt Meiling, they'll come after you. But I don't think you'll ever intend to hurt her." Feimei finished, smiling at Touya again. He stared back at her then his mouth slowly curved up into a smile. "You've got everything all wrong, but you can count on me. I won't hurt her." he informed her, reaching for a tube. Feimei smirked again. 'You'll find that you're wrong Kinomoto... you'll find that you're wrong...' she thought watching him from the corner of her eye.

~*~

The bell that signaled the end of school came too fast for Tomoyo. Way too fast. At the sound of the bell, the students jumped up and started packing their things. "Now everyone, see you in school tomorrow. Hiiragizawa and Daidouji, and Li and Kinomoto, I suggest you get started soon." he informed them, starting to pack up as well. 

The four nodded hesitantly. Tomoyo gave out an exasperated sigh as she turned to Eriol. "Come on." she ordered, mumbling. He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell me, Daidouji." he said sarcastically, putting on his backpack. Tomoyo glared a glare that clearly said "Don't get me started." He glared back then said "We should work at my house." Tomoyo didn't say anything then the two walked out of the room.

Sakura, Syaoran, and Meiling, who just joined them, watched their retreating backs. "Ok Syaoran, Sakura, I'll see you later." said Meiling and left the room as well after a nod from Syaoran and a "Bye Meiling!" from Sakura. "So, where should we go?" Sakura asked Syaoran suggestively. He shrugged, trying to keep calm. "Well, how about your house? I want to see Big Brother... unless you don't want to..." she suggested, trailing off at the end. "No!" Syaoran suddenly burst out. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes, surprised at his sudden actions. He cleared his throat.

"I mean, it's ok to." he said more calmly this time. "Ok, I'm glad!" Sakura said, smiling her most brightest smile. Syaoran, seeing that smile immediately broke his gaze to the floor, blushing a bit. What the two didn't know was Fang-Fei was still in the classroom, watching their every move. She growled a bit under her breath and started walking up to Syaoran.

"Syaoran-" she started, but was cut off by Mr. Terada. "Ok students. I have to leave now and lock the classroom." The three nodded and left the room obediently. After they had reached the school yard in silence, Fang-Fei grabbed Syaoran's arm. "Syaoran, I need to talk to you in private." she ordered, dragging him off. Sakura watched them, with a "Hoe?" expression. "Don't worry, he'll be back." Fang-Fei assured as if she had read her thoughts.

After they had reached a corner of the building, Fang-Fei turned to look at Syaoran. "I couldn't get a very good hold of you all day." she started, looking at him straight in the eye. He stared back, listening intensely. Then it hit him. She wanted the damn bear. He didn't have it. What was he going to do? He was in big trouble. A mad Fang-Fei wasn't a very good thing to experience.

"Syaoran, I ask you now," she said, surprised to find that she was having trouble making the words come out of her mouth. "W-Where's the bear?" she finally asked with some difficulty. Syaoran gulped nervously. "F-Fang-Fei... I... wasn't able to get it..." he admitted quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground. Fang-Fei nearly exploded.

"You didn't get me one? WHY?!?!" Fang-Fei exploded, shaking Syaoran. "I was going to get you one today. I had plans yesterday." Syaoran lied. Fang-Fei let him go, a frown on her face. "And don't get too close to Kinomoto." she warned. "WHAT?!?!" Syaoran shouted, nearly damaging Fang-Fei's ear. He then took a deep breath and looked at Fang-Fei, more poised but still shaking a little.

"What the heck do you mean?" he queried, half-pretending he didn't know what she was talking about. He didn't know what meaning she implied, but he had a feeling in his heart that he knew what she was saying exactly. But he didn't let that show. "Just don't get too close to Kinomoto." she repeated, a pleading look in her eyes. Syaoran's face softened at the look in her eyes and nodded silently. But he didn't feel up to his promise. And he was feeling guilty.

"Ok Syaoran, I'll see you later." she broke the silence that was starting to take over. Syaoran solemnly nodded and saw her run off. Fang-Fei would have stayed with them, watching their every move like a hawk. But somehow, she didn't want to interfere. Not that Syaoran and Sakura had anything between them. But she felt that it was for Syaoran's good... but somehow she didn't feel that it was for hers.

~*~

Silence was ringing throughout the large music room. At least that was how it was like for Tomoyo. She gave frequent glances to Eriol to see what he was doing. Nothing. Just sitting there [thinking.] Sure as hell he was. She could tell that just by looking at the smirk that occupied his face. It was starting to drive Tomoyo crazy. After a few more minutes, she couldn't take it any more.

"Well, have you gotten any ideas yet?" she demanded harshly, looking up at Eriol coldly. His evil smirk grew a bit wider. Tomoyo didn't like that at all. "Yeah, I do." he started, the menacing smirk still on his face. How Tomoyo wanted to slap it off. "Why don't I play the piano or something then you sing." he suggested, fingering the edge of his uniform. Tomoyo didn't feel like that was all he had to say.

"And..." Tomoyo questioned, looking at him expectantly. "Well," he started, the look in his eyes getting even more evil. "You could sing a song about the person you love most..." he trailed off at that, staring at Tomoyo, smirking, but his eyes cold and harsh. Tomoyo gasped all the air she could get in. How could he be so cruel? He knew, he was probably the only one he knew. He also knew that she was very sensitive on that subject. He had to be pure ice.

"Bastard." Tomoyo whispered furiously, giving Eriol the scariest look he had ever seen. But he kept his composure. "I know just how much you love him, so why not sing to him. Sing with your beautiful little voice-" he started to taunt but before he knew it, Tomoyo was up to him, and had slapped him straight across his face. He placed his hand on the cheek she had struck, which was red and aching. He glared back at her, ready to curse her back.

"TOMOYO-CHAN!!!" a cheerful voice yelled from the doorway. Eriol and Tomoyo, surprised, turned just in time to see Nakuru practically fly to Tomoyo and throw her arms around her in a death hug. "I haven't seen you in the longest time!!! Spinel and Master Eriol had missed you!!!" she gushed, jumping all over the place. Eriol scoffed at the last comment.

"It's nice to see you too, Akizuki." Tomoyo said pleasantly, a forced smile on her face. "Tomoyo-chan! I just baked some cookies! Why don't you and Eriol have some with milk?" she asked suggestively, still bouncing energetically. "No, that's ok Akizuki. I'm not hungry." Tomoyo responded, hoping that Nakuru would accept that answer. It was a lost hope.

"Oh come on Tomoyo-chan! They're very good!" Nakuru pressed on, heading for the door. Tomoyo needn't answer. Nakuru had already gone into the kitchen to fetch some cookies for the two. Eriol glanced at Tomoyo. With Nakuru among them, they wouldn't be able to "talk" things out. After Nakuru had gone, Eriol and Tomoyo would be having a serious "talk." And it wouldn't be a nice one.

~*~

"Hoe..." Sakura gaped over the inside of the Li Mansion. From the outside, it looked big and beautiful enough. But on the inside... it was very beautiful. Old Chinese decorations filled most of it with beautiful Chinese calligraphy on old bamboo paper hanging on the walls. Different antiques were here and there and the house seemed fit for a beautiful Chinese museum.

"It's so beautiful..." Sakura breathed, her eyes trying to absorb everything at once. Syaoran couldn't help but stare at her amazed state. Her eyes were sparkling and they looked so beautiful. He quickly averted his gaze, a red hue crossing his cheeks. It was happening again. She was making him feel strange again. It was already starting to drive him nuts. With each passing day, her power on him seemed to be getting stronger. 

"Come on." Syaoran reluctantly said, watching her returning to reality. She turned to Syaoran with a dazzling smile. "Ok!" she agreed cheerfully, making Syaoran avert his gaze for a second time, making his blush turn even more crimson. "Hoe?" Sakura said, now turning confused and a tad bit concerned. "Li, are you alright?" she asked worriedly, trying to look at him. Syaoran nodded and started walking towards the room they would be working in. Sakura followed silently, still worried and confused by his strange actions.

"So you decided to work here?" Meiling asked, walking towards them. "Yeah." Sakura answered, flashing her million dollar smile. Even if the smile was directed toward Meiling, Syaoran had been watching her. It captivated him and he couldn't keep his eyes off her smile. Sakura, who noticed that he was staring turned to him and flashed the same smile towards him. That sent all the blood flowing to his cheeks at lightning speed. Unsurprisingly, he blushed crimson.

Unfortunately for him, Meiling had been watching the whole scene. An amused smile crossed her face as she glanced at her brother. Syaoran, who had noticed her impish smile, started to panic. 'What if she noticed my strange behavior? What if she's getting strange thoughts? Dammit.' Syaoran thought in a rush all the while eyeing Meiling suspiciously. She smiled back a half innocent and half not-innocent-at-all smile. Syaoran knew which half took over. After all, she was his own sister.

The trio walked throughout the halls of the Li Mansion for a few moments. During those few moments, Sakura looked all around. The new surrounding she had been the past week or so had been a utopia compared to the barely livable life of the orphanage. It was almost like she had died and went to heaven. At the orphanage, she had been treated literally like shit. All the children had been. Even though it bothered Touya a lot, to the point where he would take Sakura and escape, Sakura didn't mind the mistreatment that much. She was having a stressful life. The caretakers must have had even more stress with having all these children, especially problem children, to take care of.

"W-We can work in here." Syaoran's voice interrupted Sakura's thoughts. Even though Sakura had heard from various classmates that Syaoran had a heart of ice, Meiling and Tomoyo denied that. They had said that under Syaoran's icy exterior, he had a warm heart. Sakura had seen that as well and she found herself unwillingly attracted to him. She found herself staring at him at times and, for heaven's sake, blushing as well. She also seemed to have occasional stuttering problems towards him.

"O-Ok." she responded as cheerfully as possible but, to her horror, found herself stuttering again. "Ok, I'll leave you two to work. I'll be seeing you later." said Meiling cheerfully, giving a week to Syaoran. Fortunately, he was the only one who saw it. He glared icily at Meiling and Sakura blushed just a tiny bit. 'Oh no, not again. It's so hard to control these blushes.' Sakura thought to herself in horror one again. Meiling gave another mischievous and cheerful smile at the two and walked off.

The two took a seat on the sofa that was fortunately provided in the big room, their cheeks at a high temperature. They had a hard time keeping themselves from going crazy around the other when other people were around, but they would have an even harder time now that the other was the only person to talk to. They sat in silence for a few minutes, wondering about what to say. Someone finally spoke.

"So... do you have any musical talent?" Syaoran asked, trying to work up a conversation. "Well... I can sing..." Sakura trailed off, not sure about her answer. "I'm sure it would sound really nice." Syaoran said automatically then covered his mouth, embarrassed. Sakura blushed hotly and glanced at the ground in an attempt to cover her embarrassment. 

"T-Thank you." she said quietly and looked up at Syaoran, giving a shy smile. "A-Anyways, we should compose a song to sing together..." Syaoran trailed off after saying a sentence that was pretty difficult for him. Where had that come from? He rarely gave compliments to people and this girl that wasn't even supposed to a very big person in his life was making him feel strange emotions [and] make him render completely powerless to her?

Sakura nodded in agreement, still acting awkward from the previous outburst. "So... who'll get the parts?" Sakura decided to ask, attempting to break the tense silence. Syaoran looked up into Sakura's emerald eyes. "Well... what do you want to do?" he asked in a rough voice, trying to cover up his weakness towards her and trying to blush to no avail. "I don't know..." Sakura answered, fingering the edge of the sofa gently. Syaoran sighed. This will take some time.

~*~

Meiling entered the living room and started to chuckle. Her brother was actually softening up to a girl. She wondered if he was falling in love. He hadn't before... neither had Meiling truly... and she wasn't so sure about Tomoyo... but for Syaoran, falling in love was supposed to be the impossible. Even though Meiling hated Fang-Fei, she was still her cousin and she couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

She settled down on the couch and opened her backpack. She sighed as she pulled out her math book from the stack of books in her backpack. The lesson had been a difficult one today. Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol for sure had gotten it, not so sure about Sakura and Fang-Fei, but she hadn't understood any of it. She opened the math book and placed it in front of her with a piece of paper out as well. She took out a pencil and an eraser and stared at her assignment in front of her. This was impossible.

She gave another sigh and reread the directions over and over. After a few moments of trying to figure out at least one part, she let her head drop and bang the table. "This is hard." she mumbled, her voice a bit muffled. She lifted her head and stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. "This is hard. I'll never be able to get it." she whined to herself, looking the algebra over. (A/N: I had a tad bit of trouble with algebra the first time I learned it... @_@)

Touya who had happened to pass by the room heard Meiling's obvious cry for help. He peeked in and saw her sitting on a chair in the living room, a table pulled up to her and her homework spread out in front of her. It seemed to him that she was having trouble with her homework. He smiled in spite of himself. He didn't know why, but the girl had a strange effect over him. He was almost scared that it might be...

He walked into the room and stopped in front of Meiling. "Hey, had a good day at school?" he asked casually, glancing at her homework. Algebra. Meiling gave a small start and immediately looked up. In an instant, blood rushed to her cheeks and her heart rate rose. "Y-Yeah!" she responded quickly and immediately looked down towards her homework. She didn't want to go through that experience again.

"I'll help you." Touya offered as he watched Meiling struggle with her math homework. "No, that's okay! I'm usually good at math... it's just that these problems are hard." Meiling insisted and Touya smiled at her, making her go weak in the knees. "Well, I'll help you on these." he said and Meiling didn't argue. He kneeled down onto one knee and picked up her pencil. He immediately started explaining the problems.

As he spoke, Meiling stared on. He was a very kind person. If you looked at first glance, his eyes would look dark, cold, and pretty empty. You would immediately think that he was a cold person as well. But as Meiling looked into his eyes, she found warmth in them. He looked and acted pretty cold, but he was indeed a warm person. Meiling felt herself falling maybe just a bit more.

"Hey? Are you listening?" Touya suddenly asked as he caught her staring at him. She, now broken out of her thoughts, realized this. Her face burned and she looked down once again. "Not really... can you explain it one more time?" she asked, now a bit scared that she might have made him mad. She cautiously looked up and saw him smiling at her. She blushed again and even was a bit confused. "Sure." he answered and proceeded to explain once more. She watched him in a bit of a surprise and slowly smiled as well. He was a kind soul indeed.

~*~

The two enemies sat in silence in the big music room, a big plate of cookies with two glasses of milk in front of them. Eriol eyed Tomoyo as he opened his mouth and started talking. "Daidouji, you're supposed to be singing something that's important to you. Isn't he?" Eriol asked coldly, making Tomoyo glare at him. She opened her mouth.

"Hiiragizawa, I have a lot more other things that are important to me. Not just Syaoran." she responded, the glare still lingering on her face. Beginnings of a smirk played on Eriol's face. "Isn't he very important to you?" he asked slyly, being cautious not to make her [too] mad. "Or are you just going to make it difficult to work together?" he continued, his features hardening, glaring at her even more icily. Then she nearly blew up.

"Hey, it's not like I want to work with you!" Tomoyo shouted angrily at Eriol. He glared back venom. "Don't start with me Daidouji." he warned ominously. "I'm not, Hiiragizawa! It's [you] who's trying to start with [me!]" Tomoyo screamed loudly, now standing up, facing Eriol directly. He gave her a look that plainly said "Oh, I'm so scared." Tomoyo was just about to slap him again when she realized she should control herself. She breathed deep breaths and sat backdown, but still glaring at Eriol. He smirked back triumph.

A few moments of tense silence passed, a hot glare on Tomoyo's face and a cold smirk lingering on Eriol's. Tomoyo finally spoke. "Ok, here's how we'll do it." she began, a new air of importance settling in. "State your plans, oh high one." Eriol mocked, the look on his face growing colder. Tomoyo just glared even more. She couldn't believe what a jerky bastard he was being right now. Nonetheless, she continued.

"You can write the music and I'll make up the lyrics or visa versa." she suggested, avoiding eye contact with him. She hated the coldness that entered her veins when those icy blue eyes met her own. She didn't like the way they glared at her, and she didn't like the way his mouth curled into a cruel smirk at her. Yet... she felt unwillingly attracted to the thought of him. Not in a good way, but he distracted her mind. And she didn't like that either.

"That's a great idea!" Eriol exclaimed in a bright manner, surprising Tomoyo tremendously. For once, she had thought that he was trying to be nice. With immense dejection, she discovered she was wrong. "One of the few great ideas in your life!" he continued, his smile and enthusiasm growing mock, cold, and cruel. Tomoyo's eyes narrowed. She wasn't an idiot. She knew where he was heading.

"I mean, it's a [much] better idea than falling in love with your best friend and watch him from a distance, staggering in pain, saying 'I'm perfectly happy' and 'it'll be all right' like an idiot." he ejected toward her icily, his voice full of mockery. Now, that was the last straw for Tomoyo. She immediately stood up and faced him, hatred filling her eyes. 

Eriol's smirk remained even though the glare that had taken over her eyes looked downright frightening. "Leave. Syaoran. Out. Of. This." she spat out, emphasizing every word. He opened his mouth to counter. "Oh, but [of course] you wouldn't leave him out of your life. That would just be too [heart-breaking.]" he said yet again mockingly. Anger flared in Tomoyo's eyes. She tried to control herself but just couldn't find the ability to as her hand came in contact with Eriol's cheek with hard force as well. 

Eriol stood there, resisting the urge to rub the pain off his cheek. He couldn't give in to Tomoyo. His sworn enemy. The one that hated him like heck for [no reason at all.] All he did was bug the hell out of his cute little descendant and make him slightly look like an idiot. He never had done [anything] to Daidouji Tomoyo. He came to two conclusions: she was extremely devoted, or she had a problem and just naturally hated him. He chose the latter and decided to hate her back naturally. After he had decided this, he found that being sworn enemies with Tomoyo caused her to stick to his mind. 

He stood there coolly, still smirking. He didn't know that he himself was [this] stubborn. Tomoyo fumed, still glaring venom at him. They stayed that way for a few more minutes. Then Tomoyo decided to speak up. Enough was enough. "So you want to play that way Hiiragizawa? Then I won't play at all." she said, grabbing her jacket and backpack. Unknown to her due to her flaming anger, a book had fell out of her backpack.

Eriol couldn't help but let his eyes pop open. She was giving in? Already? She turned to leave. He hesitated at first, but opened his mouth to speak. "Daidouji." he called out to her. She stopped and turned back, her amethyst orbs looking icy. "What?" she ejected coldly. "I'll write the music." he told her as simple as that. No traces of mockery or coldness. Just plain offering. Her eyes grew a little bit bigger and her mouth formed an "o" in surprise. No, she couldn't soften.

"Then I'll write the lyrics once you compose the music." she told him, turning around, trying to inject as much coldness into her voice as possible. Unfortunately for her, it didn't work quite as well as she hoped. "Sure." Eriol said as she made her way to the door. "Sweet dreams." he called out after her, his voice not coming out the way he had wanted it to. But close enough.

Tomoyo nearly stopped in her tracks. He was mocking her [again.] After making her mad enough to slap him for a countless number of times. How could he be such a bastard? But there was a way he had said it. Almost soft with no traces of hateful expressions in it. He sounded so sweet when he had said it. His voice full of kindness and for once he almost didn't sound like... an enemy. It sounded so gentle... I hated it. The part I hated about it most was the fact I wanted to hear it again.

~*~

"How dare you..." Sonomi whispered dangerously under her breath. She glared with such passion that Eriol would have been able to tell where Tomoyo had gotten those unobvious glaring skills. The man in front of her smiled cheerfully. This pissed her off tremendously. "I said I would come back for you and Tomoyo, Sonomi." he softly said, love flowing from his voice. Sonomi almost softened. [Almost] softened. 

She kept her cold composure and opened her mouth to speak. "So you decided to show up now when Tomoyo is already 11 years old?" Sonomi asked coldly, glaring at her ex-husband/husband. He smiled again. "Eleven years is enough time Sonomi." he told her, walking towards her. Sonomi stepped back cautiously."Don't get near me!" she shot back violently. She ignored the curious stares she was receiving from the maids of the house. This was embarrassing, but it had to be done.

"Tomoyo will be glad that I had come back." said he, keeping his cheerful air. Sonomi's mouth formed a cold smirk. "She'll be glad for someone who left her for 11 years? I don't think so." Sonomi shot again, thinking that she had got him this time. Her confidence fell, finding out that she was wrong. He just continued to smile and walked up to her.

"If that's what you want Sonomi, then I'll make you happy. Please tell Tomoyo that I'm back to the family." Sonomi scoffed. He ignored that with a good nature and continued. "I [will] make your heart mine Sonomi." he said with a sly smile and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. Sonomi froze at that. It actually felt... right. She shook off the feeling and pulled away. 

He was still smiling as he headed towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow Sonomi." he paused then continued. "And Tomoyo as well." After one last, charming smile, he was off, supposedly staying in a hotel nearby. Sonomi scoffed again. How dare intrude their lives like that? He knew nothing about their lives. Then it hit Sonomi. She had forgotten to tell him about Sakura...

All of a sudden, she realized that she had been standing there, thinking like an idiot. The servants were all around, staring at her in curiosity. She blushed heavily and cleared her throat. "Everyone, get back to work." she commanded and headed towards her room to do some work. But she knew she wouldn't be able to. Too many things were on her mind. And all because of that damned moron.

~*~

"Then I'll give the music to you as soon as I compose it." Sakura informed Syaoran as she started to head out the door. Syaoran nodded blankly, self-conscious and blushing like hell. Sakura sent another one of her million dollar smiles towards him. Naturally, he blushed and looked away. Earlier, they had decided to sing a duet. Sakura would be composing the music and Syaoran would write the lyrics. As they planned their act, Syaoran found himself more and more unable to take his eyes and, for heaven's sake, his mind off her. Sakura had found the feeling mutual. Of course, none said a thing about this.

Sakura stepped out the door and Syaoran stood inside, looking at Sakura. Her eyes warmed up, her smile was still there but a lot softer, and a light blush covered her cheeks. "Li, I want to thank you for today." she said, her eyes directed toward the ground. Syaoran looked away, flushed. "For what?" he asked, confused and a bit embarrassed. She giggled innocently. He liked the sound of her giggle and the light of her smile. They were both happy signs and they matched Sakura perfectly.

"You're a really kind person and you, Tomoyo, and Meiling didn't have to be kind to me at all. I just want to thank you all for making me feel welcome to the new surrounding. See, I didn't have many kind people surrounding me at the orphanage other than Big Brother and I think I've been blessed with great friends although you really didn't have to." Sakura explained, warmth and sincerity in her words. Syaoran blushed and looked away again.

"Y-You're a k-kind person too... and we didn't have much choice but to return kindness... but... I haven't been that kind to you." Syaoran pointed out, confused with her point of view. She giggled again. "I know that you are a person that likes to hide your true feelings. You try to hide your kindness but that's not easy. It shows and I know that you're a wonderful person." Sakura told him, the blush on her cheeks growing a shade darker. Syaoran's blush darkened just the same.

"I-I see..." he said, a bit embarrassed about what she said. A moment of comforting silence passed by. "Well, I've got to go now." Sakura informed him as she straightened up. "G-Good night." she managed to say softly as she walked off into the night. Syaoran stood there, staring after her retreating back. "G-Good night!" he called out after her in a hurry. She smiled to herself. Syaoran truly had a kind heart. Unknown to her, Syaoran had stared after her with a small smile and had whispered a small "Sweet dreams..."

She walked on in the slightly chilly night. She pulled her jacket around her a bit tighter and thought about the afternoon she had today. It certainly was a great day although a lot of it was blushing and stuttering. She couldn't help but think about earlier when her brother had come in on them and started a glaring contest with Syaoran. Naturally, she had let out a "Hoe?" 

She didn't get what her brother had against Syaoran. She remembered that they had been like that before but she couldn't figure out why. After her thoughts lingered on her brother's big dislike for Syaoran, they went immediately to Syaoran. She shook her head. "You can't be thinking about him... or else..." she said to herself quietly, not wanting to finish the sentence. "A-Anyways... he's already engaged..." she reminded herself and then she got into a depressed state once more. Why did life and love have to be so complicated and unfair?

~*~

"God, that girl is impossible!" Eriol exclaimed as he went into the music room to clean up the food that still sat at the table. They hadn't eaten a single thing on the plate. Then something caught his eye. It was a small book. He hadn't seen it anywhere before and he picked it up to examine it. It was Tomoyo's. 'Oh God.' he thought and set it down. He wouldn't be so low as to read it... would he? Well... maybe just one page.

He picked it up and found that there was a lock on it with no key around. Easy, he just had to use magic. But he hesitated. This wasn't right. But Tomoyo was one of the most unpredictable people he had ever met. He could just read the latest one and then that's it. Just to see what was in Tomoyo's mind. If she thought about Syaoran as much as she let on. He smiled cruelly to himself, but it dissolved. He felt guilty and almost [sorry] towards Tomoyo. This wasn't right at all. He shook his head. Enough of this. 

He raised his hand over the lock and it unlocked with a click. He slipped it out of the small lock hole and opened the book with caution and some hesitation. He turned to the latest entry and looked at the date. It had been written yesterday. His eyes scanned down to the beginning of the entry. He started reading. The contents of the entry were absorbed into his eyes rapidly:

[Dear Diary,

Daidouji Tomoyo here as usual. Diary, it seems as though my feelings for Syaoran hurt more everyday. First of all, he's engaged to a girl he doesn't even really love. She loves him dearly though. Then Kinomoto Sakura came. She is a wonderful, kind, and not to mention, kawaii girl. She seems to have some attraction to Syaoran and vice versa. I'm happy for him... but... it's smashing my heart to pieces. And to make matters worse, Hiiragizawa had come back.]

Eriol winced as he read that part. Nonetheless, he continued.

[He's a conceited, cold, and especially mocking boy. He teases Syaoran for no apparent reason and that just makes me angry. He doesn't understand why I'm so devoted to Syaoran, but I love Syaoran will all my heart. If anyone has a problem with Syaoran, they have a problem with me. If they have a problem with my devotion to Syaoran, they have a problem with my love. Syaoran is one of the most important people of my life and I would do anything for him. But... Diary... last night, I fell into deep depression about Syaoran's interest towards Sakura. I had cried on a bench at the park and Hiiragizawa had come by. And he had actually listened to my heartaches. I had thought that things could have been getting better between us. I had embarrassingly fell asleep there in my ocean of worries. He had been kind enough to take me home and hide my reason for being there. I had thought that our hatred maybe had changed. Reluctantly, I decided to give him a thanks and an apology. But when I got to him, he had told me to forget about the whole thing. That had made me very angry and I may even had felt a bit sad. I still am angry now Diary and tired of today's pains. I just hope nothing gets me to have to spend more time with that idiot, Hiiragizawa. Now I am tired. I will write to you later. Just wish me sweet dreams.

Love, Daidouji Tomoyo]

Eriol let the diary down and sat down in deep thought. Now he finally understood how she felt. He now felt like a horrible jerk, a good-for-nothing bastard. Now his heart ached for Tomoyo and he wished he didn't read it. He regretted all the times he had teased her love for Syaoran. After all, she was just loving someone. He regretted today. He regretted yesterday. He regretted every moment he ever had with Daidouji Tomoyo.

After sitting there for a while, he stood up and put away the untouched food. He picked up the diary and went up the stairs to his room without a word to Nakuru or Spinel. They probably had thought that this was extremely strange behavior for him. Later that night, he lied awake in bed, not able to stop thinking about a diary entry, his cruel actions, and a miserable, amethyst-eyed girl. After an hour of trying to forget those things, he opened his mouth to let out a small "Damn."

~End of Chapter

A/N: I know the ending was extremely weird. *Sigh* by the time I get this out, it'll probably be next week and you people probably won't be able to review. ;_; But it's ok. Anyways, I hope I wrote this chapter out pretty well. I probably didn't. Nonetheless, it's the longest chapter so far. Eriol's getting a bit soft, hehe. But I don't think the E+T is coming out very well... anyways, here are the previews:

[Tomoyo eyed Eriol suspiciously. No cold remarks, not anything. "Come on Daidouji. I think I have something in mind about the music." he said to her, leading her to the music room once again. Tomoyo stayed behind. Her eyes narrowed at Eriol. Something wasn't right...]

["Something's just in her... the kindness... I don't know, but something just pulls me toward her..." Syaoran trailed off then looked at Tomoyo. She forced a smile and tried to keep the tears in. "I'm happy for you Syaoran..." she whispered weakly.]

[He stood there in front of her and leaned down slowly. Meiling didn't know how to react. She just stood there, frozen, watching him continue to lean down. She then slowly closed her eyes and braced herself...]

[Tomoyo ran in the bitter hard rain. She couldn't believe her father was back. After all this time... She wiped away the tears that had been running down her cheek. Sobs escaped her throat as she continued running no matter how tired she was. Then she collided with somebody. "I'm sorry." she sobbed and looked up into the face of the person she collided with. She gasped and her eyes widened.]

End of Previews

A/N: Ok, ok, don't kill me people. Ok, ok, so I hope you enjoyed! 'Til next chapter! Ja ne!


	11. Realizations

Learning To Love and Learning From Love

A/N: I'm back with another chapter! I just hope you people are enjoying this fic. I just hope that everyone liked chapter 10. Ok, so the story will now get into at least minor E+T romance ^_^ So, I'll go on now. If you're able to review by the time I post this up... please do. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS at all so you don't own the right to sue me, ok? And there is one book I use... I don't own that either.

Chapter 11: Realizations

"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

~*~ = Scene/time change

[...] = Italicized words  
  


["Hello?" Meiling cried out through this empty place she had come to. Where she was she didn't know. All she knew was she was outside in the night. But nonetheless, it was a beautiful night. The moon was out and the stars filled every inch of the dark blue sky. It was all perfect as Meiling looked up into the light, eyes glowing with amazement, the light reflecting off her face. Then she heard footsteps behind her.]

[She froze in fear and tried not to turn around. Half of her mind directed her to run while the other half didn't want to move at all in fear of getting caught. The latter won anyways, because her legs wouldn't listen. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder and she turned around as a quick reaction. She found herself staring at an extremely tall person almost twice her size. Even with all the light from the sky, it still was too dark to see the person's face. But Meiling recognized that this person was a male. It was as if he had a blanket of shadow around his body.]

[After a few moments of silence, Meiling was still standing there, staring up at this person. Something about him attracted Meiling a lot and she wanted to know who he was. Then, finally, one of them moved. He stood there in front of her and leaned down slowly. Meiling didn't know how to react. She just stood there, frozen, watching him continue to lean down. She then slowly closed her eyes and braced herself...]

"MEILING!!!" a loud voice that sounded uncannily like her brother rang through her ears as a violent shake caused her to open her eyes. "What the..." she said groggily, lifting up her head. She saw her brother Syaoran standing there, his arms crossed a scolding yet worried look was planted on his face. Then Meiling's eyes popped open, jumping out of her 'bed.' Or what she thought was her bed.

"SYAORAN!!! What are you doing here in my room?!?!" she asked at first with a surprised expression, rapidly changing into one of anger. Syaoran looked at her skeptically. "This isn't your room. This is the study room and you fell asleep while reading... something." Syaoran informed her, glancing at the book on the desk she had fallen asleep on. Her face burned with embarrassment. The scene from last night unfolded in her head...

Flashback

"So we're through with your math homework, right?" Touya asked, prepared to stand up and go on to his room. Meiling nodded, her face in a dream-like state, her eyes looking like they were staring off into another world. Then she suddenly remembered something. She knew she ought to ask someone else like Tomoyo, but she felt like she wanted to ask Touya. She saw him walking away and reacted fast.

She stood up at the speed of lightning and yelled out "Wait!" He stopped and turned around, a surprised look settling on his face which then turned gentle. Meiling stood there, her face burning, feeling like an idiot. "I-I have a book report due for next week... um... er..." Meiling asked, fumbling with words and wringing her wrists. "C-Can you suggest a book to me?!" she finally blurted out, her face burning even more, if possible. Touya smiled at Meiling and she looked down. 

This was interesting. Syaoran, the Li brother, falling in love with Sakura, the Kinomoto sister. And Meiling, the Li sister, falling... Meiling shook her head violently. She wasn't. Of course she wasn't. Her love for Hiiragizawa Eriol wasn't true... it couldn't be true this time. It was [just] a huge infatuation... that's all... right...? 

Her thoughts couldn't go on as Touya had already started talking. "Well, there is this one book I really enjoyed. I read it not too long ago at the orphanage. A real novel." he said, thinking hard to remember the book. "What was it?" Meiling asked with curiosity but also a bit proud that she had asked without stuttering. "It's an American book translated into Chinese." he informed her, getting a pencil and paper ready to write down on.

Meiling nodded, again enchanted by him. He wrote down in neat Chinese characters a title of a book and the author's name in English. (A/N: How would Chinese people write down an English name? From what I know of Chinese, they have characters that have meanings... but I don't know how they would write down an English name. In Japanese, they would write down Katakana, but... help... oh well. I'm sorry if I got it wrong.)

Touya handed the piece of paper to Meiling and while she reached out to grab it, their hands slightly touched. [Slightly.] Neither of them had ever known how one small touch from someone could send such an electric shock down your back. They immediately withdrew after Meiling had her fingers gripping the paper. Both had dark blushes on their cheeks and didn't know what to say. 

After a moment, Meiling had calmed down and had shaken it off as best as she could. Which didn't have a very good result. She looked down at the piece of paper and read it. Translated, it read "A Walk To Remember" by "Nicholas Sparks." Meiling hesitantly looked back up at Touya. He seemed like he had shaken it off as well (at least on the outside) and smiled at her again. "You'll like it." he told her and turned to leave. Meiling smiled and lightly blushed, looking toward the ground. 

"Thank you." she said softly, barely loud enough for him to hear it. He smiled again and turned his head around so he could see her. "Anytime kid." he said and walked off. It hit Meiling a bit hard. Her small smile turned into a small frown. He thought of her as a little kid... it was no big deal... but she didn't like that at all for some reason. She tried to shake it off. She couldn't worry about that now. She had a book to find.

End Flashback

She had ran to the library and after half an hour of searching, she had finally found the book. By the time she got back home, it was nearly 10, her bedtime. But she didn't want to go to bed just yet. She had to read the book, finish it by tomorrow, make Touya proud... She had immediately sat down in a desk in the study room, consuming the pages. It actually turned out to be one of the best books she had read. The romance in it was absolutely pure and sweet and touched her deeply. She [had] finished the book, awed by it, but she had apparently fallen asleep soon after that, too tired to get up. But she didn't think that the book had caused her abnormal dream...

"Meiling?" Syaoran asked, looking at her worriedly. Meiling snapped from her small flashback and looked up to her brother. "It's nothing, Syaoran." she assured, picking up the book. Then Syaoran suddenly took the book from her and inspected the cover. "A Walk To Remember? Why are you reading this?" he asked, looking at her skeptically. Her face changed to a bright shade of red.

"F-For the... b-book report..." Meiling stuttered mindlessly, trying to form the right words. Syaoran narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why choose an American novel?" he queried critically, holding the book up for her to see. "... I.... um..." Meiling was at a loss for words and was frantically trying to find some. Then an idea popped into her head.

"It was from Eriol! He used to live in England and had read the book. He said it was a really good book to read and..." Meiling answered a bit nervously, twiddling her thumbs, anxious to see if he bought it. Syaoran's suspicious expression changed into an annoyed and slightly angry one. He had never like Eriol and the fact that his sister got along just fine made him a bit annoyed. It was just a relief that Sakura didn't put much interest into him... Syaoran suddenly stopped his train of thought... where had that come from?

Syaoran nodded solemnly, his mind horribly plagued with his problem of thinking about 'that girl' all the time. "Syaoran?" Meiling suddenly called for him. "Aa." he replied mindlessly, half-listening to her. "What time is it?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Syaoran stood there for a second, doing a double-take. Their eyes met in a fearful half-second and then dashed to the clock. 7:50

Two screams, one extremely high-pitched and the other pretty low, echoed throughout the mansion. Maids and butlers looked up, rather alarmed from the deafening yells. More words could be heard from the study room where the two were frantically panicked in. "Syaoran!!! I still have to dress and wash up!!!" Meiling yelled frantically, making her way upstairs. 

"Hey! Hurry up!" Syaoran shouted up to her, staring at the clock and tapping his foot in a panicked manner. They had 10 minutes to get ready and run as fast as hell to school. A loud "ow" was heard from upstairs as Meiling painfully tripped. Syaoran slapped his forehead. For the first time in their life, they were going to be late for school.

~*~

"Everyone get to your seats. Class is now starting." Mr. Terada's voice commanded over the class. The students obediently did just that. Tomoyo shot a worried glance at the seat next to her. Syaoran had never been late let alone absent before. Even when his energy was drained from the card-changing session Eriol was giving him. Her eyes flickered for just a second. Eriol. The boy who was sitting behind her had nearly hurt [her] Syaoran. It was for the best... but... she couldn't help but count it a sin.

Suddenly the door slid open at the speed of light and there stood a panting Meiling and a very irritated looking Syaoran. "Both of you are late for the first time." Mr. Terada stated almost in shock. The students had turned to give them surprised stares. Both ignored them and made their way - well one was stomping his way - to their seats. Tomoyo shot both of them worried and wondering looks. Syaoran gave a look that said "Nothing's wrong." Tomoyo smiled back a smile that showed relief.

The two sat down in their seats, looking pretty worn. As Syaoran slid into his seat in front of Sakura, he couldn't help but let the blood rush to his cheeks in a smooth but rapid flow. He wanted to kick himself - hard. He had let his [little] attraction to the orphan girl that had barely anything to do with his life get as serious as to him blushing involuntarily when she was just near him.

He mentally slapped himself. He couldn't think like that, no he couldn't. If he did... he would convince himself that he was... he couldn't give in to that. For heaven sakes, the person he would spend his entire future with together had already been chosen, not by his own choice, but nonetheless chosen and tied to him. But. There was another alternative. The promise. He wanted to kick himself yet again. Screw the promise. He couldn't do that... unless he was already deep enough to.

No. A firm no. He couldn't fall. Was it possible for the stone-hard Li Syaoran to fall that hard, let alone, that fast? No, it wasn't. Syaoran was just about to fall towards the hole of denial, a place and time where he didn't have to worry about falling, about breaking another's heart, about disappointing his elders, his mother, his clan and [almost] didn't have to think about that [girl] with the cheerful and kind aura along with those near-haunting eyes. But. One tap had to distract him from falling completely into that place.

Syaoran whirled around to find Sakura smiling sweetly at him. That was enough to break his entire train of thought, to wipe away all existence of thoughts of denial and possible peace of thought from this [girl.] "Li, can I borrow a pencil?" she asked him in her regular, ordinary voice. Of course, she was just about the most innocent creature that ever walked the earth. So innocent that she had [no] idea what the [hell] she was doing to him.

Syaoran gazed at her stupidly for a few seconds, her face right there, inches away, the bright smile spread on it, those eyes staring on expectantly but warmly. Maybe even a slight blush spread across her cheeks. Then reality finally hit him - hard. "O-O-Oh, o-okay." Syaoran stuttered like an idiot, to his ultimate horror, the request she had bestowed on him finally clear. 

He quickly whirled back around, just as fast as he had first turned to Sakura, and grabbed a pencil from his desk. He turned back around and handed the pencil out towards Sakura - with a shaky hand. But Sakura didn't notice that, as to she was also a bit jumpy about this as well. "Thank you Li." she thanked him quietly so the teacher wouldn't catch them talking [again.] 

Syaoran turned back around. The mad pounding in his chest was much more serious than a matter to ignore. He had to talk to someone about this. If he didn't, he was afraid that he might give in and let himself fall fast into... that emotion and might even get hurt in the process. He needed to talk to Tomoyo. She was his best friend and he had always went to her when he was in a tangle for the many years of close friendship they had between them. But it might not help. He may already be... in love.

~*~

Eriol sighed heavily as he sat in the slowly dying grass. The girl that he had finally understood yesterday hadn't spared a single glance at him today. Not even a glare. She had been colorless today; she was tired, out-of-energy, and blank. But he couldn't get a good look at her eyes so he wasn't really sure on that. People constantly say that eyes are windows to the soul. That was especially true for Hiiragizawa Eriol. One look and he could find out what that person was feeling... well almost.

He found Daidouji Tomoyo noticeably difficult to read. She, too, was an observer and had some secrets within her that barely anyone knew. Eriol was one of them. He found that, to his ultimate horror, that a slight blush rose to his cheeks. He was one of the few people who knew her. That somehow seemed like an important position to be in. He sighed then let his head fall and hang hopelessly. Screw her diary entry. Now she was plaguing his mind even more.

~*~

Daidouji Tomoyo was happy. Happier than she had been in any moment this past week. He was asking for her help! She was especially happy if he needed her help. She always wanted to be there when he needed her. She would go to any lengths to make him happy. Even if his source of happiness wouldn't lie within an unbreakable bond between him and her, she was happy if he was happy. Even if it would hurt just a bit to see him with another person, she could just be happy at the fact that he was happy with another. Although she wouldn't be able to ask for more if he returned her feelings and was happiest with her. That would be a dream come true. Everything she would live for.

She knocked off that train of thought. She didn't need to be selfish about Syaoran. Right now, he needed a best friend, an advisor, a counselor. He didn't need her to make things worse for him. She looked up at him. His amber eyes were focused onto the ground, in deep thought. Tomoyo had fallen in love with those eyes a long time ago. They may look fierce and cold but they were warm, innocent, and kind if you stripped away the cold exterior.

"Tomoyo." he suddenly said. Tomoyo liked it. She liked, no loved, the way that he said her name. She loved the way he looked up to her. She loved the way that he cared for her even if he didn't return her feelings. "Yes." she answered sweetly. Funny how Sakura's sweetness affected Syaoran so much but Tomoyo's didn't have an affect at all. 'Must be fate...' Tomoyo concluded, her heart smashed slowly, though she, as she had for the past years, ignored the pain spreading through her chest.

"... It's about... Kinomoto..." Syaoran began with much difficulty. Yet again, a tiny piece of Tomoyo's heart broke off. Yet she still kept that smile on her face all the while wondering how one heart could break again after it had been repeatedly breaking for years. "... and... Tomoyo..." he struggled with the words, his mouth forming new words and inaudible sounds to find the right phrase. Then he suddenly spat it out.

"I can't stop thinking about her!" he blurted, his face taking on a look of desperation and confusion. A huge fragment of Tomoyo's heart broke out yet again. Syaoran continued, yet again not knowing of the pain Tomoyo was feeling. "Something's just in her... the kindness... I don't know, but something just pulls me toward her..." Syaoran trailed off then looked at Tomoyo. She forced a smile and tried to keep the tears in. "I'm happy for you Syaoran..." she whispered weakly.

He looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean you're happy for me? This is supposed to be a bad thing! I'm already engaged, and... and..." Syaoran trailed off, at a loss for words once again. "You can't fall in love?" Tomoyo asked him, slyly but at the same time sweetly while concealing everything inside of herself. Syaoran blushed a deep red and lowered his head. Tomoyo had to do something. She loved him, but sometimes he just couldn't take things too well, or was too dense.

She stood up and positioned herself in front of Syaoran. "Syaoran." she called him, cupping his chin with two fingers and tipping it up so she could look into those deep amber eyes. The eyes she had fallen in love with a long time ago. But she couldn't think about his eyes now. She had to do her job for now; she had to get Syaoran's train of thought going straight if she wanted to see him happy. If Kinomoto Sakura was his source, she had to push him to it.

"Syaoran." she said again firmly but at the same time gently. Syaoran stared up at her, hopeless and lost, like a little child. He had always been a regular, young child inside his tough exterior and Tomoyo had known that since the beginning. "You are in love." she told him firmly, using all her will to keep the tears from even welling up at the bottom of her eyes. 

Syaoran looked down, his face an even more darker shade of crimson. Tomoyo still held the grip though. She liked the touch of his skin against her fingers. It gave her a warm feeling inside and she was happy. Almost. If it wasn't for the situation at hand. If he wanted to, if he had the desire to, if he just loved her back and she could make him happy, he would be hers and she would be his. She would hug him with all the desire she had, the feel of the skin of his cheek rubbing against hers, and kiss his lips, making her cold ones warm again, despite the cruel fact that they may be too [young] for actions like that. And he would be hers. [Hers.] Hers for life. And she would always be his. But it wasn't that way. He loved another. Either she had another one she could love in store for her (she couldn't imagine that) or Fate and Destiny just plain hated her. Either one could have been valid although she knew for sure the latter one had to be it. She could never love another. Never ever... unless her heart changed directions and no one had ever said that one heart could belong to two people. But that couldn't be it... could it?

"Syaoran, I want you to be happy. If you're happy, I'm happy as well. And love is happiness only if you are with your loved one. Fang-Fei still had made a promise with you. You could still break off your engagement. I'm sure Fang-Fei wants you to be happy as well. If you love Sakura, then love her freely. And don't deny that Li Syaoran." Tomoyo told him, all the while looking at him with soft and kind eyes and stroking his cheek over so slightly. Syaoran didn't seem to notice. His eyes were lost in deep thought, searching his soul. Then he finally looked up and did something Tomoyo loved, absolutely loved, to see. He smiled.

"Thanks Tomoyo. You're the best." he said to her and got up in one swift move and threw his arms around her. This surprised Tomoyo tremendously since he barely ever hugged anyone without hesitating a great amount of time. He withdrew and smiled one of the most genuine smiles Tomoyo had ever seen on his face. "Come on Tomoyo, lunch is almost over." he informed her and pulled her towards the school. 'I'm happy for you Syaoran...' Tomoyo thought as the last of her heart smashed.

What the two hadn't seen was another person who's heart shattered as well. Fang-Fei pulled her knees up to her chest from behind the tree. How could he fall in love with Kinomoto Sakura? They hadn't known each other for very long and he already was in love with her? Why not Fang-Fei? Why had she made the stupid promise? Whilst she wondered that, she knew deep inside that she had loved Syaoran and wanted him to be happy. And she'd just have to let him be happy. But nonetheless, this was heartbreaking, She buried her head into her arms and cried for all her heart was worth.

~*~

Tomoyo sighed as she turned around to face Eriol for the first time that day. She got herself prepared. Prepared for another blood-boiling day with Eriol. She was [not] looking forward to this at all with the pain her heart had been experiencing that day. It was just tiring, tiring enough to make her collapse over. Little did she know that another situation would be added to her already high pile of pain. But as she turned around, she was almost shocked.

There was Eriol, sitting there, smiling solemnly at her. No traces of amusement. No mock. No cruelty. There had to be something wrong. But then again, it was a bit too early to be mocking her, so she knew she shouldn't get her hopes up. "Come on Hiiragizawa." Tomoyo said curtly and getting up out of her seat. Eriol followed, saying nothing and quietly. [Too] quietly for Tomoyo's tastes.

"Bye Tomoyo! I'll be going to Li's house!" Sakura's cheerful voice broke through Tomoyo's suspicions. Tomoyo's face relaxed and she turned around to see Sakura, Syaoran, and Meiling off. Wait. Where was Fang-Fei? She wasn't anywhere around here and Tomoyo was sure she would have said good-bye to Syaoran before she left. But after she had come in from lunch, by the way which she had entered five minutes late, her eyes were red and she looked heartbroken. 

Then it hit Tomoyo. What if she had heard the conversation she and Syaoran had earlier at lunch? Surely if she did, her heart would have smashed right then and there, just like Tomoyo's had right then and there. What else could have made the tough Fang-Fei cry? "Daidouji. Daidouji." she finally snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head towards Eriol's direction. And then her face burned crimson. 

She had just showed weakness in front of her enemy. Well, not exactly weakness but she had shown a flaw. She had shown that she could be lost in thought without hearing herself being called. The worst part was that he probably had assumed that she was thinking about Syaoran. Technically she had, but more on Fang-Fei's case. Anyway, she was in for another afternoon of teasing. 

But she was surprised yet again. No dancing amusement in his eyes. No sly smile. No nothing. Just the same solemn smile planted on his face, looking almost sadly towards her. Had something happened? Why was he acting so strange? "Let's get going Daidouji." he suggested and put his backpack on and walked towards the door. Tomoyo did the same, confused more than ever.

~*~

The trio was silent as they walked through the quiet streets, different things on their minds. Sakura decided to break it. "Meiling, remember how you were complaining yesterday that the math lesson was too hard. How did you get through it?" Sakura asked, knowing just how hard the math was. She had been through it. Tomoyo had taken the time to explain things to her. Tomoyo was so kind.

"Touya helped me." Meiling answered, her mind obviously on something else. "Ah, Big Brother." Sakura repeated and continued walking. Then, both Sakura and Syaoran did a double take. "M-Meiling!" Syaoran said urgently, getting Meiling's full attention and making her a bit alarmed. "What is it?" she demanded, scared that something bad was happening at the moment. Sakura decided to intervene.

"Meiling... what did you just call Big Brother?" she asked urgently. "Tou-" Meiling suddenly stopped, burning red. She was downright scared. She had just called Touya by his first name! And that was a very good thing in Meiling's case. She hadn't even intended to call him that. No, she couldn't be, could she? She didn't know. Oh, everything was just confusing right at the moment.

Syaoran had known that Meiling may have developed some sort of crush on Touya, but he could have never guessed that it could have gone [this] serious. She barely ever called any guy other than her friend Eriol and her brother Syaoran (whom she [did] think she was in love with earlier) by their name. This could have been some brother-love sort of thing, but Syaoran didn't think so.

Sakura [had] to know. Was Meiling in love with Touya? But that was impossible! Or was it? Touya would never have opened up to Meiling just like that! And by the things Tomoyo had told Sakura, Meiling had thought that she was in love with Eriol and other than that, she didn't put a drop of interest in any other guys. But to go as far as calling a guy [seven] years older than her by his name whilst at the same time, being the brother of Sakura? Sakura just had to know.

"Meiling." Sakura said and looked over to Meiling. She looked so disturbed that she looked almost ready to cry as if she was in big trouble. "Meiling, is everything okay?" Sakura asked soothingly. Meiling looked so scared. "Everything is not okay!" Syaoran roared, sounding almost angry. "Meiling!" he growled, making her face him just the slightest bit. "A-Are you... are you..." Syaoran couldn't get the words out. It was a pretty impossible thing to happen. 

Everything's alright! Don't' worry! It was just a mistake! You know... Mother's always calling him by his name and I guess I picked it up. Don't worry, I'm not... I'm not..." Meiling paused there, not wanting, not being able to, go further. If she had, two things could happen: it could actually happen and... she might be lying to herself. The two clueless ones next to her didn't take the hint.

Syaoran nodded and backed down. "Alright Meiling." he said, trying to take matter at hand and throwing it off their minds. But Sakura wasn't as determined to do that. "Meiling, it's ok. Your heart has a right to choose." Sakura said gently and comfortingly, smiling at Meiling. A light blush spread across Meiling's cheeks. She had the right to choose... at least Sakura was approving...

Meiling stopped her train of thought. Approving of what? She was absolutely going crazy. But nonetheless, she smiled back at Sakura. "Thanks Sakura." she said softly, confusion in the midst of her heart. What was going on? Why was she feeling this way? This feeling that she had for Touya was... a lot more different than what she felt for Eriol. What was this? Was she... in love?

~*~

The two approached the Hiiragizawa Manor. The place she practically blew up at yesterday. The place where... she might have lost her diary! "H-Hiiragizawa..." Tomoyo said to him, scared of what he might think. He looked over to her, wondering why all of sudden she sounded scared and looked pale. "You didn't happen to find a [book] around here, have you...?" Tomoyo asked tentatively, expecting a slow smile to creep its way to Eriol's face. No, yet again. Nothing. But what surprised Tomoyo most was that solemn look he had held the whole way here had gotten even sadder...

"Yes I have, Daidouji. Come in." Eriol told her, leading the way in. An extremely confused Tomoyo followed him into the house, suspicions arousing in her. He mustn't have read it, or a sneer would have replaced that sad look, that, surprisingly for Tomoyo, wasn't a good sight to see. Luckily for them, they had gotten there just in time. The sad, gray clouds that have floated around the sky all day had finally let the first of many teardrops fall.

~*~

"We're home!" Meiling's voice echoed throughout the mansion while she and the other two were pulling off their coats and backpacks. "Alright!" Feimei answered back, apparently present in another room of the mansion. Meiling turned to the pair behind her. "Ok, you two work and have fun!" Meiling told them, winking. Syaoran blushed taking the hint. Sakura blushed as well, but smiled and nodded cheerfully. Meiling then turned and walked to the study room to begin her homework, which, luckily, there wasn't very much.

"So... did you come up with something for the music?" Syaoran asked softly, his eyes glued to the ground, a light red hue spread across his cheeks. Sakura nodded shyly. "I can play the melody for you on a flute if you have one..." she added tentatively, looking up slightly. Syaoran immediately broke his gaze from the floor and looked up to Sakura, who was standing there, patiently waiting for his answer. He slightly raised an eyebrow. 

"Y-You learned how to play the flute in an orphanage?" Syaoran queried, stuttering just a tiny bit to his dismay, but curious about how she managed to. "Oh, you see, people donated things to the orphanage. This one person donated a flute to us along with a flute book when I was about seven. No one seemed to be interested in it so I took it and followed the book's instructions. I came to love playing it although I'm not good at all." Sakura explained, a small smile on her face from the memories. Syaoran doubted that last part.

"I-If you've been playing since you were seven, then you must be really good." Syaoran said with much difficulty. Sakura blushed lightly. "Thank you." she said quietly but with a gentle smile. With one look, Syaoran had to look away. Or else he would have fell under her gaze. "Come on. We actually do have a flute. Meiling had attempted to learn a few years back, but she gave up after it got to hard for her." Syaoran explained to her, leading the way to the room which held the forgotten flute.

"Really?" Sakura asked excitedly while Syaoran nodded. At that moment, he was in deep thought, half playing reality whilst the other half he was thinking about what Tomoyo had told him earlier. Could he really have fallen in love with this innocent girl smiling next to him, absorbing the joys of life? He had always thought that it would be impossible to fall in love with anybody. But... she was different from any other person he had met.

~*~

Meiling sighed heavily as she lied down on her bed. She had just given Touya another magic lesson. And she had loved the time they had spent... but... Meiling abruptly shook her head. This wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to be in love with somebody seven years older than her! 'But whoever said that one couldn't?' a voice in Meiling's head countered. And she thought about it.

She wasn't engaged to anyone, unlike her unfortunate brother who was head over heels for Kinomoto Sakura. Meiling giggled in spite of herself. But... she had never wanted to experience this feeling. Well at least not this early in life. Plus, who would fall in love with the short-tempered, fierce Meiling? Especially if this someone was 18 and probably old enough to get married into a wonderful life. 

Meiling rolled over onto her stomach and let her head make contact with the soft blankets on her bed. She let memories of her and Touya flash by in her head. The time that she had accidentally insulted him and he went home, considerably angry at her. How terrible she had felt. When she had made that lunch for him and had blush in front of him for the first time. And the many times she had blushed after that. Their first magic lesson. When he had suggested her that book. And every memory aroused feelings in Meiling's heart. 'No... this can't be happening...' Meiling thought in horror. But it had. She had no control now. It was too late.

She was in love with Touya Kinomoto.

~*~

"Here." Eriol said while handing Tomoyo a small book. Her precious diary. Could he have read it? That would be one of the most sinful things he [ever] could have done, piling up on his already evil deeds. She took it from him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Don't worry Daidouji, I didn't read it." Eriol said after a moment, noticing her suspicious stare. Tomoyo knew what was coming next. But it never came.

Tomoyo eyed Eriol suspiciously. No cold remarks, not anything. "Come on Daidouji. I think I have something in mind about the music." he said to her, leading her to the music room once again. Tomoyo stayed behind. Her eyes narrowed at Eriol. Something wasn't right... and Tomoyo was determined to find out what was exactly wrong with him.

She then pushed the thoughts into a corner of her mind. First thing's first: they had to work on this duet and they had slightly less then two weeks to compose music then write the lyrics. She sighed as she walked fast-paced. Why was life so unfair to her? Why, oh why did she have to receive Hiiragizawa for a so-called partner? Why did she have to fall in love with her best friend? [Why] did her best friend have to love someone else? Once again, why was life so unfair to her?

She entered the room and found that Eriol was already sitting at the piano, ready to play. She mentally kicked herself. Now he was going to make a smart comment that would follow along the lines of "Took you long enough" or of that sort. None, surprising Tomoyo to no ends for another time in that single day. Maybe he had changed. Maybe the mocking would finally cease. Maybe he would finally understand her. No, she couldn't get her hopes up again. That last time was a big mistake. She wouldn't, couldn't, fall for that false facade again. 

"Proceed Hiiragizawa." Tomoyo said in an icy tone that neared one of that of a commandment. Eriol nearly winced. It hurt him to hear Tomoyo talk so coldly to him. But it never had before. He couldn't help but wonder what had changed his mind - his hear - so much. Once again, something came to mind. 'Screw her damn diary.' Eriol fumed, regretting that he had read that entry. But then again, he didn't regret it. If he hadn't read that, he would go on to act unreasonably towards Tomoyo. And he wouldn't have realized what a jerk he had been. He would continue to rub Tomoyo's love for someone into her face, acting immaturely and insensitively all the while.

Eriol didn't even realize that those thoughts had gone by while he had started playing the music he had created. Not on paper but in his mind. It was a slow but sweet melody, maybe even with a melancholy sense to it. Although Eriol had planned only a little of it, he went on and on, creating the chorus as he went, his fingers running across the keys in an almost possessed manner. When he finished, he saw Tomoyo had already recorded it, ready to make up lyrics along with the melody. 

That had surprised Tomoyo. How someone like Hiiragizawa Eriol could have created such a song. But then again, he could be mocking her. Challenging her to make words for this song. Sad words to express her feelings for Syaoran. But she didn't care. What else would she write about with such a sad melody? Her surprised face took on an unrevealing, shut expression. Eriol didn't like that.

"Need anything else Hiiragizawa?" she asked politely but with coldness. Eriol could tell that. He shook his head, the same solemn expression as before. Tomoyo's curiosity poked her to find out about why he was acting so strange. But she wanted to leave right away. "Ok then, I'll be leaving now Hiiragizawa." she told him, giving a slight bow good-bye. Eriol returned it, his heart feeling empty and wanting to tell Tomoyo to stay at least a little longer. He was as confused as ever. He felt as if he wanted Tomoyo by his side. But he had never felt that way before... what was happening to him?

Tomoyo walked out of the room and shouts from Nakuru could be heard, offering for her to stay a bit longer. Tomoyo could be heard answering back politely and gently that she really should be going. Eriol listened to these voices and when they ceased, he let his head fall onto the piano keys, making a horrid, unmusical sound that would usually never be heard from Eriol and his faithful piano. "What's happening to me?" he asked himself aloud, silence answering him back loudly.

~*~

Sakura took a breath and blew into the flute, a sweet sound flowing from it. It captivated Syaoran, realizing that he never had thought she could play [this] wonderfully. Sakura's eyes closed, letting her heart pour out into the instrument. Playing the bright melody, filling the room. Syaoran didn't make a sound, his mind half aware that if he did, the wretched sound could be recorded into the recorder next to Sakura and also aware that if he did, he could stop the continually flowing sound of beautiful notes.

One question came into his mind: what kind of lyrics would he write? "How was it?" Sakura's sweet voice broke through Syaoran's thoughts. Syaoran looked up at her and blushed when he found himself just inches away from her face. Her emerald eyes stared back at him, sparkling, a tint of red spread across her cheeks. "It was beautiful." Syaoran said mindlessly, regretting it the moment they spilled out of his mouth. The hue of red on Sakura's face turned a shade darker. A gentle smile came upon her face and she tilted her head. "Thank you." she said wholeheartedly. 

Syaoran tried to calm his racing heart before he died of a heart attack. He averted his eyes to the floor in an attempt to keep Sakura from seeing the bright shade of crimson that reached his face. He succeeded. But then again, she never seemed to notice, to Syaoran's ultimate relief. "Okay, I better be leaving now. Can you write lyrics from here?" she asked, gathering her belongings but turning her head to Syaoran with a gentle, questioning look. Syaoran nodded silently, his eyes still glued onto the floor. She smiled. Although Syaoran wasn't looking at it at the direct moment, he could just picture it in his head.

"Okay then." she said and headed out the door. Syaoran looked up. "Sh-Should I see you to the door and walk you home?" he asked nervously, standing up from his chair immediately. Sakura blushed and turned to him. "No, I'm fine. Thank you for offering." she said to him and walked out the door. "Wait!" Syaoran called after her after realizing something. Sakura walked back, looking at Syaoran questioningly. "T-Take this." Syaoran told her, handing her an umbrella that had been sitting in the room conveniently. Sakura looked at it, confused than realized that it had been raining. She smiled at him sweetly. "Thank you." she said once more with scarlet cheeks. She then walked out. After the sound of Sakura's footsteps faded, Syaoran let himself plop down onto the chair he had been previously sitting in. He then sighed. This had confirmed it for sure...

"She plays so beautifully!" Meiling jumped into the room, breaking Syaoran's thoughts. That had actually scared the wits out of him. "M-Meiling!" he shouted, springing to his feet. Meiling looked at him and giggled. "Thinking about sweet [Kinomoto]?" Meiling inquired slyly, smiling one of amusement. Then Syaoran went scarlet. "How would you know?" he asked, switching his gaze to the floor. Meiling laughed. 

"I heard her playing earlier and I wanted to clap for her when she was finished, but I know that would have ruined your [moment]." Meiling explained, slightly emphasizing the last word. Syaoran looked at her but stayed silent. Meiling's smile extinguished. "Syaoran." she called softly. "What's the matter?" Syaoran stayed silent as he walked across, looking out of the balcony that was attached to it. "I never thought that I would actually fall in love and have to break another's heart..." he told her softly, staring up at the never-ending black sky, but moon and stars covered by crying clouds. Meiling's eyes widened. When had he finally gave into that fact? Had Tomoyo talked some sense into him? Her smile returned, happy for her brother but than quickly went away as quickly as it had come. She had never liked Fang-Fei but you couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Would Syaoran take that chance and tell Fang-Fei that he was in love with another?

~*~

"Sakura, why do you look so happy?" Sonomi queried gently, with a smile on her face, as she quietly sipped her tea. Sakura looked up, looking as if she had been in deep thought. "Er, um, nothing" she said nervously, taking a quick swipe of her tea. She had apparently been thinking about Syaoran. He had her thinking of him all the time these days and nothing made her happier than seeing him. Feelings aroused in her heart whenever she was with him and she was confused by these emotions...

Tomoyo's heart instantly broke after realizing the reason why Sakura looked like she was on cloud 9. Syaoran. Tomoyo scolded herself. She had to get used to the idea that Syaoran loved Sakura and Sakura was in love with him as well. She looked into her teacup, the color of the tea reflecting Syaoran's eyes. But no color could be sweeter than the amber that Syaoran's eyes held. The tea came close, but not close enough.

"Tomoyo." her mother called out to her, her voice firm and serious. Tomoyo looked up, wondering what could be the matter. "Sakura, I'm sorry dear, but could you please leave the room for a bit?" Sonomi asked Sakura gently, smiling at her. "Hoe?" Sakura wondered quietly but got up obediently. She exited the door, wondering what could be the matter. 

"Tomoyo." Sonomi, turning to her once more. Tomoyo looked up at her carefully. "Your... well... you know..." her mother fiddled with the words, trying to find the right ones. How could she tell her daughter that her father was alive and well and wanting to come back into their lives? She shook her head and decided to get it straight out. "Tomoyo, remember when I told you your father had passed away when you were an infant?" Sonomi asked calmly, eyeing Tomoyo. Tomoyo nodded slowly, not getting a good feeling about this. "Well... you see, he isn't really dead. He came back just yester-" Sonomi needn't to finish. "You [lied] to me?" Tomoyo inquired harshly, getting up out of her chair. "No, Tomoyo dear-" Tomoyo cut her off once more. "No! I don't want to hear it!" she shouted in a manner that she [never] used to her mother.

She stared up at Sonomi. Her mother had lied? Why? Her father had left all those years? Tomoyo felt as if the world was against her. She turned around and ran. "Tomoyo!" her mother shouted after her. She ran past maids and bodyguards that shouted out after her, never stopping to answer or even listen. She heard Sakura calling out after her. She didn't even stop at that. She ran past her door, out into the pouring rain.

~*~

"Eriol! Suppi!" Nakuru shouted a bit [too] loud from the kitchen. Eriol sighed and took his time walking to the kitchen. Spinel followed him. "That idiot better have a good reason to disturb the peace while some of us were having a good reading." she grumbled, her eyes set into an annoyed glare. Eriol smiled but not that happily. The day's events were still stuck fresh in his mind. 

The two reached the kitchen to find Nakuru tapping her foot waiting for them. "Eriol! We're out of potatoes and potatoes are [absolutely] essential to the meal I will be cooking tonight!" Nakuru shouted with extra energy as usual. "Why don't you go get them?" Spinel asked, narrowing her eyes at Nakuru. "Because shopping is [Eriol's] job and cooking is [mine]!" she said smiling her usual smile. Spinel rolled her eyes. 

"Still in a bad mood Suppi?" Nakuru asked in a sympathetic voice. Spinel glared at her. "Who are you calling Suppi? And I'm [always] in a bad mood because of [you]!" Spinel shouted, emphasizing the last word. "Aww, you hurt my feelings!" Nakuru said dramatically, pretending to look as if she was hurt badly by Spinel's harsh words. Spinel snorted. She wasn't stupid. She knew better than to fall for Nakuru's dramatic moods. 

Eriol sighed and grabbed an umbrella. "Okay then Nakuru, I'll get you the potatoes." he said to her. He had nothing better to do and maybe it would give him some privacy time to sort out his thoughts - and his feelings. Nakuru jumped to Eriol and wrapped her arms around him in a big, tight death-grip. "Eriol! You're the best!" she shouted into his ear. Spinel rolled her eyes. After Nakuru released Eriol, he proceeded to head out the door.

"Hey! Why did you call me?" Eriol could hear Spinel suddenly ask. "Cause I wanted you to try the dessert!" Nakuru responded, smiling at him sweetly. "You idiot!" Spinel's shout could be heard. As Eriol walked out the door, he could hear the sound of their arguing slowly fading and the sound of endless raindrops pounding on the umbrella above his head.. He smiled in attempt to lighten his mood but it was a futile attempt. He sighed once more. What could be wrong with him?

~*~

Tomoyo ran in the bitter hard rain. She couldn't believe her father was back. After all this time... She wiped away the tears that had been running down her cheek. Sobs escaped her throat as she continued running no matter how tired she was. Then she collided with somebody. "I'm sorry." she sobbed and looked up into the face of the person she collided with. She gasped and her eyes widened.

She looked up at the face of Hiiragizawa Eriol. "H-Hiiragizawa..." Tomoyo sobbed, looking up at his face. She could see concern imprinted into his eyes. She didn't care if she looked weak, if she looked like an idiot. She got up from the wet ground that she had fallen onto, soaking to the skin and threw her arms around Eriol and immediately starting sobbing endlessly into his shoulder, causing him to drop the umbrella from the force she pressed onto him and from pure surprise.

Eriol, once again to his ultimate horror, he blushed. But a more extreme shade than before. There he stood, Daidouji Tomoyo, his supposed enemy, crying her heart onto his shoulder while both were standing in the rain, passing people giving strange looks their way. And Eriol was out here in the first place to get potatoes for Nakuru. They couldn't just stand out here. They could catch serious colds.

Eriol tapped Tomoyo's shoulder. "Daidouji, first let's get to my house and we can talk about this." Eriol told her in a soft whisper. She nodded in agreement. Eriol stooped to pick up the fallen umbrella and held it over the both of them. Tomoyo sobbed continually, making Eriol look over at her worriedly. Before they knew it, they had reached Eriol's mansion. They walked up to the front door and Eriol reached out to knock on it.

"Coming!" Nakuru's voice could be heard clearly from the inside along with excited footsteps filled with energy. The door opened and Nakuru stuck her face out expecting to see Eriol back with a sack of potatoes. What she got was much more than what she expected. "Eriol! Tomoyo! Come in!" she urged them, her happy expression changing into a surprised one. Nakuru took one look at Tomoyo and took her hand. "Come on Tomoyo-chan. We've got to get you into some dry clothing." Nakuru said to her, urging her to go on. 

"No, I'm fine, really... I'll just go back home." Tomoyo insisted, turning for the door. Eriol stopped her by taking a hold of her arm. "Daidouji, you can't. You'll get very sick." he said to her in full concern. Tomoyo looked up into Eriol's eyes. He could then see that her eyes had a sad and very stressed look in them. Whoever did this to a beautiful angel like Daidouji Tomoyo deserved to pay...

Tomoyo nodded, understanding, with tear-streaked eyes. "Come on. I'll get you some dry clothing." Nakuru said softly, trying not to be too loud and obnoxious. Tomoyo followed wordlessly up the stairs with Nakuru. Eriol stared off after them, extremely worried for Tomoyo. What had happened? Why was she like this? He had to find out...

He climbed the stairs to get on dry clothes as well. He had to see Tomoyo after Nakuru had finished dressing her. He had to see what was wrong with her. He mentally slapped himself. He was going soft for Tomoyo once again that day. Now he was even more worried about her, how she was doing and if she was happy or not. Once again, what had come over him?

~*~

Sonomi paced around the room endlessly while Sakura sat down on the sofa, both extremely worried about Tomoyo's whereabouts. Where was she? How was she doing? What had happened to her? Would she come back? 'Of course she has to come back... if she doesn't I wouldn't have the will to live on!' Sonomi thought miserably, the thought of losing her daughter smashing her heart.

"A-Aunt Sonomi..." Sakura's small voice caught Sonomi's attention. She looked over to Sakura who had a gentle look on her face. "I'm sure Tomoyo will come back. After all, she's a very loving person and she still loves you. Why wouldn't she come back? I just think she needs to set her thoughts straight. If I got word that my parents were still alive, I would have to sort out my feelings." Sakura told her reassuringly, a kind smile on her face. Sonomi stared at her in surprise which slowly melted to one of happiness.

She walked over to Sakura and put her arms around Sakura in a warm hug. "You're very like your mother, Sakura. Whenever something was wrong or I was down, she'd cheer me up with encouraging words to say. You are very much like her." Sonomi whispered, tears falling down her face. Tears of sadness that her daughter was missing, tears of pain that her sister-like cousin was gone, and also tears of happiness that Sakura had joined their family.

~*~

Tomoyo sat on the sofa in a simple, dry, warm dress also wrapped in a blanket. Nakuru had been kind enough to provide those and a cup of hot tea. Tomoyo drank slowly not to scald her tongue or throat. She had to find a way to repay Eriol and Nakuru's kindness but she decided that she would think about that and the fact that Eriol was being so kind to her later. Right now all that was plaguing her mind was her mother's lie about her father.

Meanwhile Eriol made his way over to the living room where Tomoyo currently sat. Nakuru came by and gave him questioning eyes. He gave her a glance that said that he'd tell her later. Nakuru nodded in understanding with Spinel floating. She too was a bit worried for Tomoyo. Eriol walked into the living room to see tears sliding down Tomoyo's face. He sat down next to her, an uncomfortable silence settling in.

Then Eriol decided to ask her, to see what was wrong. He turned to her. "Daidouji..." he began softly. "...tell me what's wrong." he said, nearly pleaded. Tomoyo glanced over at him to see if he was being sincere. He was, surprising her yet again. She then turned to him and threw her arms around him for a second time. She knew she was acting rashly, but right now, her mind wasn't in control. Her heart was. Eriol nearly had a heart attack.

"Hiiragizawa... m-my mother... she had lied to me about my father... she had said that he had passed away long ago... but he was alive and came back... and now Syaoran had confirmed that he was in love with Sakura... why, why does life have to be so unfair to me?" Tomoyo sobbed, tears soaking a spot on Eriol's shoulder. Eriol sat there not making a single movement. His heart was aching for this girl. He wished that she didn't have to face such terrible pain. He wished that she could be happy...

After a while, Eriol found Tomoyo with her head against Eriol, sleeping in a peaceful state. If only reality was so peaceful for her. She was probably dreaming about Syaoran... why did that affect Eriol so much? He sighed and picked her up. He would have to return her to her own home. Nakuru, sensing that he was taking her back handed him a bag with the clothes she had originally been wearing. He smiled a small smile of thanks, careful not to make a sound all in fear that Tomoyo would wake up from her serene slumber. 

He carefully picked her up onto his back, once again giving her a piggy back ride. He remembered the last time this had happened. Tomoyo had cried about Syaoran and her aching heart and Eriol had healed her that time as well. After this time, his heart reached out for her more... but... no, that couldn't be. Being careful not to wake her up, he walked to the door with quiet steps out into the rain, the umbrella covering them. 

~*~

Eriol sighed as he closed the door, closed the umbrella shut and climbed up the stairs into his room. He let himself fall onto his bed, facing the ceiling, his thoughts about Daidouji Tomoyo. He closed his eyes and pictured her beautiful yet somber face. He thought about today and how he hadn't said one mean thing to her. He thought about how his heart had reached out and wanted to see her happy so badly. The it hit him. He wasn't an idiot. He knew when something like the happened. But why her? Why Daidouji Tomoyo, whose heart belonged to another.

Why did he have to fall in love with Daidouji Tomoyo?

~End of chapter

A/N: I believe that's the longest chapter so far... @_@. I just hope I didn't screw it up too much. -_- I hope everyone liked that little E+T moment, hehe. Now you know why this chapter is called Realizations, right? Well, now I have a whole new idea for the next chapter and expect it to be long... but I'll also have to be working on the revisions [and] I'd been meaning to finish the second and final chapter of Aishiteru. Next chapters of Soundless Love and Knowing the Meaning of Love should be expected later. It seems as though I'm having major procrastinating problems, ne? Anyways, preview for next chapter:

["Now I, Iowa Fang-Fei, release you, Li Syaoran, to love whomever your heart desires." Fang-Fei declared with a smile but tears welling in her eyes. Syaoran stood there, dumbfounded. Fang-Fei had just broke off their engagement... now Syaoran would be free to confess his love to Sakura... but would it work out? He looked to Fang-Fei who returned an encouraging smile.]

[Red roses? Who had sent these? Sonomi looked to the tag. It read "To: Dearest Sonomi From: Konoko." Sonomi's face burned crimson. Did he take her for a fool? She took the roses and threw them into the trash, scoffing as she walked off. But a little tug could be felt at her heart...]

[Sakura looked through the boxes. She didn't even know why she was here looking for a teddy bear. She didn't even love anyone... suddenly Syaoran came to her mind. Sakura shook her head furiously. 'He's engaged Sakura...' she told herself, but she knew it was too late. She wasn't always that dense. She was in love with Li Syaoran.]

["What the hell are you doing! Get away from her!" Touya yelled at the top of his lungs, running at him at full speed. How could anyone think of kidnaping an innocent 11-year-old child? But to Touya, Meiling just wasn't a child. No, she held a higher spot in his heart...]

["Tomoyo..." a soothing voice said that sounded like a lullaby to Tomoyo. The figure walked up to her and kneeled in front of her, holding a small but beautiful teddy bear. Tomoyo couldn't help but feel happy about what was happening in front of her. But then again... she frowned. The figure wasn't Syaoran... it was someone else...]

[Eriol's eyes rapidly moved back and forth over the water to find Tomoyo. No sign of her. 'The wave must have been pretty hard...' Eriol thought, still scanning the surface of the water. Then he saw something. Tomoyo's head was floating above the surface just a tiny bit then she started to sink. Terror petrified Eriol's mind. This couldn't be happening... Eriol opened his mouth and said something he wouldn't have dared to say a few days before. "TOMOYO!!!" he shouted loud and clear, tears stinging his eyes. Eriol then jumped into the ocean. He had to find her.]

End of Previews

Aren't I evil? *Sly grin* Eriol [finally] finds some of his guts. A lot of things are happening in the next chapter *wink*. Anyways, please review people! And watch out for revisions for chapters! 'Til next chapter! Ja ne!


	12. Happiness or Whatnot

Learning To Love and Learning From Love

A/N: Back with another chapter! I'm guessing that this chapter will be longer than my average chapter considering about a million different things are going to happen. I'm adequately satisfied with how this fanfic is progressing and I just hope everyone else is enjoying it. I thank all of you reviewers wholeheartedly! I've been busy too, as school has been a literal living hell. Eighth grade is hard work! Anyways, just note that I have no idea what day this chapter takes place, since the 5th chapter was [supposed] to be a Monday and I have no idea what day this chapter falls upon. For all I know, it could be a Saturday or Sunday. But then again, I don't know the Hong Kong school schedule. I'm just going to pretend that this day falls on a Thursday, supposedly the second to last day of the school week. Please read this chapter and continue to review! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from CCS. I own this plot (in a way) and Fang-Fei. Heck, I don't even own Fang-Fei's name which was made up by my Chinese best friend of mine [Mei-Hua].

"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Thoughts

~*~ = Scene/time change

[...] = Italicized words

Chapter 12: Happiness or Whatnot  
  


["Tomoyo..." a soothing voice said that sounded like a lullaby to Tomoyo. The figure walked up to her and kneeled in front of her, holding a small but beautiful teddy bear. Tomoyo couldn't help but feel happy about what was happening in front of her. But then again... she frowned. The figure wasn't Syaoran... it was someone else... She studied the person carefully, wondering ceaselessly in her mind about who would be in love with her.]

[She didn't have quite enough time to study and thoroughly think about who it was since the person had stood up and walked towards her silently. Tomoyo backed up in tiny steps, just little by little. She saw the person lift his hand out and stroked her cheeks gently, the tip of his fingers barely touching the surface of her skin. She froze at his touch, her brain not registering all that she wanted to do. He relocated his hand to under her chin and pushed it up just slightly. After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, he leaned forward slowly, almost like slow torture to Tomoyo. Finally, his lips touched Tomoyo's, sending a shock up her spine. He pressed against hers harder, all the while, Tomoyo using every ounce of her energy to resist. It was difficult indeed.]

[Tomoyo tried to push away but felt her desire as well as her energy to deteriorating away. The person brought his arms up to her shoulders and pulled her in closer, their faces pushing against each others. She could feel the soft skin of his face gently caressing hers. She shivered slightly, a bittersweet sensation filling her. As they continued this bittersweet kiss, she could feel the edge of a hard object pressing into her upper cheek. It felt like... a considerably solid edge of... glasses...?]

A distinct ring made it's way through Tomoyo's ears, causing the images and sensations to distort, bringing her back to semi-consciousness. Instantly, as if a speeding train had collided into her, the pain did too. She felt her body on fire, but also, at the same time, uncannily cold. She could also feel a wonderfully refreshing spot of coolness on her forehead.

She struggled to open her eyes, the pain banging from her head all the way down to her toes. As her eyes finally succeeded in opening, she saw Sonomi sitting on her bed and Sakura standing by her bedside, still in her pajamas, both looking down worriedly at her. Tomoyo tried to sit up but lay back down instantaneously, reacting to the dizziness that plagued her when she attempted to sit up. 

"Tomoyo, you just rest today." Sonomi told her in a tone that told Tomoyo just how worried she was about her. Then it hit her. All the memories of last night came back, so rapidly that her head pulsed with another big dose of pain. The rainy night and how she had ran out of the house... because of her father's return and how her mother had... lied to her. She bumped into Eriol and he took her to his home, giving her immense hospitality. She remembered crying on his shoulder for a good long time until... what had happened? She didn't remember anything after that. She concluded that she must have fallen asleep and Eriol had... Tomoyo blushed heavily. She had probably caught this dreadful cold by all that. And Sonomi and Sakura [had] reason to worry after the whole ordeal about last night.

Tomoyo simply nodded, avoiding Sonomi's eyes. She still was angry at her, after all. Sonomi left wordlessly, the fact that she was upset painfully obvious, even for Tomoyo. Sakura turned to Tomoyo after watching Sonomi silently and somberly walk out. "Tomoyo, I hope you feel better by the time I get home." Sakura told her, unsure of what else she could say. Tomoyo held her tongue for a while then spoke. Her voice came out raspy and quiet.

"Sakura, you don't have to come home right away just for me. If Meiling and Syaoran want to do something, just go with them. Don't worry about me." Tomoyo told Sakura, giving her a weak smile, the most she could manage up for now. Sakura just smiled back gratefully. "Thank you Tomoyo, but I will come home. Li and I can work on the song another day." Sakura stated that last part while a light red shading her cheeks. Tomoyo ignored it, although it was difficult to. 

"No just go on Sakura. I'll be expecting you won't be home for a while." Tomoyo told her reassuringly. Sakura gave another smile that was in-character: caring and cheerful. "I hope you get better by later today. I'll bring your homework for you." Sakura informed her. Tomoyo nodded in consent as Sakura proceeded to walk out of the room to get ready for school. "See you later, Tomoyo!" Sakura said with a final wave. Tomoyo waved back weakly, a series of coughs exploding from her chest. 

~*~

The sound of moderate footsteps made small echoes throughout the hallway as Syaoran walked sluggishly towards the front door of his mansion. He turned the doorknob and pulled it open to find Fang-Fei standing there unexpectedly. Syaoran nearly jumped back and guilt flooded his heart instantly. "Good morning Fang-Fei" he greeted quietly. "Good morning Syaoran." It wasn't the usual exuberant chirp she usually reserved for Syaoran and Syaoran only. Syaoran, noticing the change in her attitude, looked up and studied her.

He was surprised to find that instead of the usual bright hope and immense happiness at the mere sight of Syaoran was gone. In place of all that was a deep sadness no one could ever acknowledge. Syaoran immediately wondered what was wrong and debated with himself to decide if he would really tell her. He took a deep breath as he decided that he should tell. The sooner the better...

"Fang-Fei..." Fang-Fei looked up at Syaoran questioning yet knowing eyes. "Can I talk to you for a bit? We won't be late for school or anything." Syaoran told her and her heart became heavy with impeding realization. She nodded in a somber manner, almost throwing Syaoran back into debate. They walked into the Li garden and both sat down on the grass that covered a lot of the garden area, surrounded by various flowers, plants, and trees. 

For an almost comfortable and according moment, the two sat in silence, watching butterflies moving gently and gracefully from one place to another or watching the small birds soar in the air. Fang-Fei sat there, preparing herself emotionally and mentally for she knew and had a distinct feeling that Syaoran would be telling her that he was in love with Sakura and wanted to break off the engagement or something composed of basically the same words, while Syaoran sat there, figuring out how to start telling her. After one more minute, Syaoran opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm in love with Kinomoto." he called out plainly and bluntly. Fang-Fei could feel something in her chest break. The tears teetered on the edge of her eye, each of them threatening to fall, and sobs and a lump got caught in her throat. She tried to suppress all of them and tried to smile encouragingly for Syaoran as he had lapsed into another silence, wondering about what to say next.

Syaoran wanted to kick himself. Why did he have to say it [that] blatantly? What would he say next? He didn't know. Nonetheless, he swallowed and continued. "I know that about two years ago, you and I made a promise that we would marry each other unless we found someone we truly loved..." Syaoran trailed off from there. It didn't take the smartest mathematician in the world to figure out the rest.

Fang-Fei put forth all her strength to keep from crying. "I see." she choked out, trying to sound as normal as possible. But Syaoran wasn't stupid. His heart flooded with guilt once again, wishing that he never had fallen in love with Sakura. "I'm so-" he was cut off by Fang-Fei. She had her finger pressed to his mouth and he turned his head to see what Fang-Fei was doing.

She had now turned to Syaoran, her body turned to him fully and opened her mouth to speak. "Now I, Iowa Fang-Fei, release you, Li Syaoran, to love whomever your heart desires." Fang-Fei declared with a smile but tears welling in her eyes. Syaoran stood there, dumbfounded. Fang-Fei had just broke off their engagement... now Syaoran would be free to confess his love to Sakura... but would it work out? He looked to Fang-Fei who returned an encouraging smile.

Slowly, but steadily, a smile lit Syaoran's face. He could feel the happiness radiating from himself. Fang-Fei continued to stand there smiling, although sadly. Syaoran reached out to enclose Fang-Fei in a tight embrace. He couldn't help but whisper out a quiet thank you. Fang-Fei nodded slightly, acknowledging what he had said. Syaoran kissed Fang-Fei's cheek, to her great surprise, but she knew that it was only in a sisterly way.

"I'll meet you at school." Fang-Fei told him weakly. He looked into the depths of her eyes and nodded, trying not to expose his happiness or relief very much at all. He walked ahead, taking quick, joyful steps. Once she heard that the sound of Syaoran's footsteps of the sidewalk had deteriorated and his figure had gone off into the distance, Fang-Fei broke. She broke down and cried for all she was worth, hoping with all her heart that the tears would stop at one point.

~*~

"You told her!" Meiling's enthusiastic shout full of disbelief reverberated throughout the hall, catching the stare of many other students. At this, Meiling slightly pinked at the cheeks and grinned sheepishly before turning back to Syaoran who seemed plainly numb with the whole situation. "Meiling, you didn't have to shout that out." he groaned quietly, eyeing her in an exasperated manner, hoping that all eyes were off them now, which they fortunately were.

Meiling was almost afraid of asking the next query. She slowly looked up at Syaoran and tentatively spoke. "How... How did she respond?" Meiling asked reluctantly, watching Syaoran twitch just a bit. "She accepted. She said she would break off the engagement." Syaoran responded quietly, his head looking down at the ground, his bangs casting a small curtain of shadow over his eyes. Meiling looked up, wide-eyed and surprised.

"Really?" Meiling asked in disbelief, checking to see if her ears were deceiving her. Syaoran nodded silently, guilt washing over him. All the guilt that he didn't feel back there just a bit ago was hitting him with full force now. Meiling, sensing this, stayed silent as well. The two stood there, an overwhelming yet comforting silence wrapping them in itself. "Meiling." She looked to him, a natural reaction taking over. "I'm ok. Don't worry. Things will heal in time." Syaoran reassured, giving her a genuine smile. Slowly and tentatively, but surely, Meiling smiled as well. She reached over and took a hold of her brother's hand.

"Syaoran, you know that I'll always be by you, right? And Tomoyo, Big Sister, Fang-Fei, Yukito, all of us. If you need consoling, we'll be there. If you want someone to lean on, we'll be there. If you need someone to give you a great kick in the ass to get your mind going again, we'll be there." Meiling told him, a smile adorning her face like the bright and beautiful moon decorating the endless dark blue sky. Syaoran cracked a smile at that last comment. Maybe he [would] confess to Sakura... even if it would take some time and every ounce of willpower he could summon.

~*~

Sakura sat there, wide-eyed and dazed, her eyes on Naoko who simply smiled back, proud that she had amazed yet another girl with [her] story. "Is that true?" Sakura asked in a whisper, half of her mind concentrated on what Naoko had just recited to her and the other half wondering why in all of hell she was so interested in it anyway. It [was] just a romance story which probably was nothing but a made-up story by a hopeless romantic. But then again, all Sakura could picture in her mind was Syaoran.

Naoko nodded, the smile still stretched out on her face bigger than ever. "So if you make a teddy bear and give it to someone and that person responds by giving you a teddy bear as well and you two name the bear they received by the giver's name, you'll be in love forever." Naoko summed up, pleasant with the reaction she got from Sakura. Sakura nodded in response, in deep thought.

Naoko got up from the desk she was sitting at. "Well, bell's about to ring. Better get to my seat." she said to Sakura, who just nodded once again, paying half-attention to Naoko who then walked off. "Good morning." a voice directed the greeting towards her. Sakura turned around to see Hiiragizawa Eriol there, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. 

"Good morning Hiiragizawa." Sakura greeted back, smiling cheerfully, drowning out all thoughts of teddy bears, love, and Syaoran in her head. Then her smile diminished slightly. "Is something wrong?" she asked courteously, eyeing his slight frown. He shook his head, his eyes getting rid of their obscureness. "I was just wondering... is Daidouji here today?" he asked almost hesitantly, eyeing the floor of the classroom. 

Sakura shook her head innocently. "Tomoyo caught a cold from last night and this morning she had a burning fever and fits of coughing and sneezing." At this, Eriol blushed slightly, remembering what had happened last night. "Oh, I was just wondering. Thank you." he responded, courteous as always and turned to walk to his seat. Sakura nodded, her head clouded in confusion.

~*~

"This Tuesday?" Syaoran questioned, his eyebrows raised. Meiling nodded enthusiastically. "Tomoyo has to be better by then and the news report said it would be a really hot day for the autumn. It'll be a great time to go to the beach!" Sakura nodded in agreement. "It sounds good to me! I love swimming!" she exclaimed, eyes innocently shining like emeralds. Syaoran gave no retorts this time, just nodding in consent, a light shade of red spread across his cheeks and eyes on his shoes. Meiling caught this and smiled to herself, being as quick as she was.

The three shifted their gazes to Eriol, who stood there quietly, mouth shut and eyes showing that he was not listening to them at all. "Eriol?" Meiling broke his train of thought, causing him to look up at them. Meiling stood there, eyes on Eriol unsure of what to do. She knew that she didn't love Eriol... but the pain was still there. 

"Do you like the idea?" Sakura offered, attempting to sweep away the tense silence that had been dominant. "What... idea?" he questioned slowly, confused. Syaoran's confused gaze immediately melted into an annoyed expression. "Count on Hiiragizawa to not listen when something important comes up." Syaoran muttered under his breath, earning a nudge from his sister.

Eriol narrowed his eyes a great deal towards Syaoran. It was usually a difficult task to get Eriol angry or even annoyed, Tomoyo as an exception, but today... he was just out of it. Maybe he just got up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe it was just the shocking revelation that he was in love with his supposed worst enemy. Or maybe it was simply because his supposed worst enemy just wasn't here. It was an empty feeling, really, as if a piece of the day was just missing. He didn't like it.

"Do you want to go to the beach this Tuesday?" Sakura repeated for him, glancing at him worriedly. "Yes, that would be nice." he responded, his voice empty and a glazed look in his eyes. If any of them did notice this, they kept quiet. "Ok, then we'll go!" Meiling declared, the worry flickering away, replaced with her usual enthusiasm. Or so it seemed. 

~*~

"Daidouji-sama! A gift for you was left outside the door!" the head maid's voice panted in fluent Japanese as she brought the bouquet of red roses. Sonomi looked up from her paperwork. "And what are these?" she queried, surprised about receiving a bouquet of beautiful red roses. "I don't know, Daidouji-sama. They were just there, perched on the porch. 'More like a flight of fancy stairs.' Sonomi thought with light amusement. 

Anyhow, she picked up the mysterious gift as the maid stepped out of the door. Red roses? Who had sent these? Sonomi looked to the tag. It read "To: Dearest Sonomi From: Konoko." Sonomi's face burned crimson. Did he take her for a fool? She took the roses and threw them into the trash, scoffing as she walked off. But a little tug could be felt at her heart...

She let out a small 'hmph' as she shook off the unwanted feeling. She was not a fool, as her old acquaintance thought. Acquaintance. The word seemed hollow and meaningless to Sonomi, as if it wasn't the right choice of wording. She scoffed, reprimanding herself. He was just a small piece of the past, now lost and forgotten, but had somehow found its way back. She just prayed that it wouldn't become a piece of the present now.

~*~

Sakura, Syaoran, and Meiling stopped abruptly as they stepped into the classroom. "W-What happened?" Meiling spoke first, looking around the messy room. Papers and various items from the teacher's desk were scattered over the floor as was a few desks turned over. The sound of footsteps was heard from behind them and the trio turned to see Mr. Terada coming up behind them.

"Hello." Mr. Terada greeted the three, as he turned to go into the classroom. The three didn't bother to respond, knowing what was coming their way. Mr. Terada stopped short, mouth hanging open, and an angry look coming over his eyes. "You three did this?" he inquired harshly, eyes focused on them. "N-No, it wasn't us." Meiling answered for them, afraid of what would happen.

"School's finished and the three of you should be heading home by now. Then why would I believe your obvious lie?" he challenged, trapping them. "I don't know, but I [promise] Mr. Terada, we [didn't] do it." Meiling answered quietly, voice wavering. He stood there, staring disappointedly at the three of them. "I don't know what [possessed] you three to do this, but it's forgiven. Just clean it all up." he told them seriously. Meiling opened her mouth to protest once again, but shut herself up. It was no use. He would [never] believe them. 

"Yes." they answered obediently in unison, bitterness in their voices. The three headed towards the middle of the room to pick up the items and papers that had been dropped. "And put it in order." Mr. Terada gave a final command as he walked off. Meiling glared after him and stuck her tongue out. Syaoran sighed. "We have no choice. Someone obviously pulled a prank and it happened to be [us] that was caught up in it. Meiling, why didn't you just return tomorrow to claim your notebook?" he groaned, bending down to grab more papers. 

"How was I to know that the room would be like this? Plus, now the teacher won't trust in us anymore. This sucks." Meiling complained, angrily grabbing papers. She turned to Sakura. "Sakura, aren't you going to complain at least [once]?" Meiling inquired, ashamed that she had been complaining while Sakura just stayed quiet. Syaoran had always told Meiling that she needed a bit more maturity.

"No, I'm just kind of worried. I promised Tomoyo I'd come straight home, but I guess that's not going to be possible. Cleaning up all this [and] ordering the papers will take at least over an hour." And to make matters worse, things were written all over the blackboard. All of a sudden, Eriol walked in. "I was thinking you'd be in here-" Eriol stopped abruptly. 

"Someone made a mess of the room and we had to come back here for my forgotten notebook." Meiling explained without looking up. "Oh." Eriol said, surprised by this. Then three laughing voices were heard. The four turned their heads to the door. Two boys and a girl were standing there, smirking at them. Syaoran and Meiling glared while Sakura and Eriol stared in disbelief. 

"Look who got to 'fix' [our] prank. Aww, thanks Li. You're really nice." they laughed as they walked off, their giggles slowly fading away. "Who are they?" Sakura asked, once they were gone. Meiling glared as she continued picking papers up. "They're supposed to be in sixth grade right now, but they were held back by Mr. Terada last year. Now they're in a different fifth grade class, but they hold a grudge against Mr. Terada. And they hate me and Syaoran because we're more athletic than [they] are." Meiling continued, smiling proudly. 

"Their athletic ability is their only talent since they aren't very talented in schoolwork. "They've always hated us as well." she finished, dropping the stack of papers she was holding, to suck on a paper cut she just got. Realizing what she had just done, she groaned. "Now I have to pick them up [all over] again!" she whined as she bent down once again. Syaoran simply rolled his eyes, not looking too happy. Sakura giggled, and then, all of a sudden, her eyes lit up.

"Hiiragizawa! Can you please go to my house for me and tell Tomoyo that I'll be late?" she asked, her eyes pleading. A feeling of dread and excitement came to Eriol. He stood there, contemplating whether he should do it or not. Finally, he nodded his head solemnly. "I'll give her the homework as well." he sighed dreadfully. Sakura grinned happily. "Thank you!" she thanked him enthusiastically. A flicker of jealousy entered Syaoran's eyes. But for what, he didn't know.

"You're welcome." Eriol responded, his voice empty once again. "Well I better get going." he told the three as he waved good-bye and exited the classroom. When Syaoran was sure he had left, he groaned. "I can't believe it. Hiiragizawa, going to [Tomoyo's] house?" he murmured, as Sakura turned to Syaoran with a apologizing look. "I just wanted to make sure Tomoyo wouldn't be worried." Sakura told him quietly, immediately making him helplessly guilty. He sighed, returning to his work. "It's okay." he said gruffly, hoping that the red tint on his cheeks wasn't too noticeable. 

Sakura immediately smiled, and although Syaoran wasn't facing her, he could picture it in his mind. "You're a really great friend to Tomoyo, worrying for her and all. But I think it will go okay." she said, making the shade of red on his face go brighter. "Thank you." she said to him softly. 'For what?' Syaoran wanted to ask. But instead, he just responded with a quiet "you're welcome." Hiding the smile that formed on her face, Meiling simply listened.

~*~

Eriol's hand trembled as he reached out to buzz Tomoyo's house so the gate would be opened. But somehow, his hand wouldn't go any farther. He just stood there, every minute seeming like an hour. What was he doing? Seeing Tomoyo when she was ill and all... but Sakura had obligated him to. Using that as an excuse to his insecure self, he finally reached out and pressed the button. "Yes?" a maid's voice answered through the speaker. "I-I'm Daidouji's..." Eriol trailed off, lost on what to apply himself as. "... friend..." he finally replied after a long pause. "Yes sir." the maid responded, opening the gate to let Eriol through.

As Eriol walked through the beautiful garden, the sound of his voice when he had told the maid that he was Tomoyo's "friend" echoed throughout his mind. If she wasn't a friend... what was she? He knew her better than a plain and simple acquaintance. Hell, he could tell what she was feeling, even if she [was] mainly an introverted person. She [was] an enemy... but now... he shook his head. He was just fooling with himself. He was just someone Tomoyo knew. Not even a friend. Just a classmate, a colleague. Nothing more.

The door stood opened, awaiting Eriol's entrance. His pace quickened slightly, subconsciously taking note of the waiting maids. As he took the final and slightly decisive step through the entrance, one of the maids proceeded to lead him to Tomoyo's room. Eriol looked around the massive mansion. It seemed bigger than he had imagined when he had brought an exhausted Tomoyo to this door. Twice.

Before he knew it, he was standing in Tomoyo's room, steps away from the bed in which she rested in. A feeling of helplessness crossed his heart as the sound of the door quietly clicking shut as the maid left Eriol in the room alone. He just stood there, staring at her sleep with slightly heavy breathing. What did the maids expect him to do? Wake her up, just like that? He couldn't.

Every minute that passed seemed like an hour to Eriol who just continued standing there, drinking in every flawless detail on her face. He noticed a wisp of hair rested on her cheek, slightly distorting her perfect face. He unconsciously reached over to brush it away when he felt the high temperature on her face. On a reflex, he quickly placed his hand on her forehead which was burning hot. He winced. She really didn't deserve this...

The feeling of a cold hand penetrated Tomoyo's dreams. Now half-awake, Tomoyo wondered where this wonderful sensation was coming from. She started to stir, to Eriol's horror, and her eyes fluttered open. She just simply stared for a while, her eyes half-open and the feeling of the coolness that had fleeted away remaining in ghostly sensations. "H... Hiiragizawa...?" she finally spoke, confusion glazing her eyes.

"Aa, your homework." Eriol explained quickly, handing her papers and some books. She just stared at it for a second before taking it. "Thank you." she whispered, then turned her amethyst eyes back on Eriol. "Where's Sakura?" she inquired, now confused more than ever. "They were set up by three troublemakers and now they have to clean up our messy classroom. Sakura sent me to give you your homework and to tell you that she'll be a bit late today." he explained, staying as calm as possible.

Tomoyo just nodded and murmured another "thank you." "You're welcome." Eriol answered, not knowing what to say to her next. Things between them were even more uncomfortable lately. Eriol found himself wishing that they could go back to the resentful relationship full of animosity. He'd be stepping out of that door right now without a care in the world, and he wouldn't be in love with her...

"I'd better get going." Eriol announced hurriedly, giving a small bow to Tomoyo and turning to hurry out. "Wait." Tomoyo's voice almost pleaded, stopping Eriol's procession and his heart as well. The two just stayed silent for a minute, Tomoyo gathering up the words she wanted to say. Eriol stayed patient, confusion swallowing him up. What would she want to tell him? 'Probably an insult of some sort.' Eriol thought, sinking the unwanted hope that had stirred in his heart. 

Tomoyo finally took a deep breath. "I want to thank you, Hiiragizawa. For everything." Tomoyo spoke, surprised of her own words that were popping out of her mouth. That definitely took Eriol by surprise as well. They fell into another silence, but this one felt different. It was almost friendly. A smile curved at Eriol's lips. "My pleasure, Daidouji." he answered her, unsuccessfully hiding the real pleasure inside of him. What he didn't know was Tomoyo was smiling as well. 

An uncomfortable tie between them now loosened, Eriol walked out, unexpectedly cheerful. Somehow those small words she had just said to him complemented him. As if something inside him had clicked. And now, maybe they weren't such enemies anymore. As he walked his way towards the door, several maids bowed to him. He didn't notice as he was drowning in thoughts, hopes, dreams, wishes, happiness, and love.

~*~

Meiling wiped her brow as she collapsed into a chair. "Finally done." she groaned, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "And we have homework to do." Syaoran reminded her gruffly, ordering the last of the papers. She groaned once again. "Syaoran! You [had] to remind me?!" Meiling whined, shooting a 'help me' look towards him. Sakura giggled at their playful fighting. "I was just reminding you of your duties." Syaoran told Meiling, going red in the ears. "Hmph." Meiling grunted, crossing her arms.

Sakura giggled once again, and put on her backpack. "I better get going home. Tomoyo's probably waiting." Sakura announced to them. Meiling nodded and gave Sakura a wave. "Bye Sakura! I'll see you later!" Meiling said to Sakura, smiling enthusiastically. "Bye Meiling!" Sakura responded, waving back as well. She then turned to Syaoran. "Bye Li!" she said to him as well, except there was a red hue colored on her face. "Bye." Syaoran grunted, trying with all his might to fight the blush. Unsuccessfully.

She stepped swiftly out the door, leaving a suspending atmosphere behind. Syaoran sighed as she disappeared from sight. The tricks she pulled on him were getting worse, and he had no idea what to do with them. "Syaoran, I'm going to go now. Are you coming?" Meiling informed him, putting on her backpack. She had a knowing smile on her face. "Meiling, you go ahead. I'll catch up." he murmured in response. He needed some time to clear up his head, to think things out. Luckily, his sister nodded in understanding as opposed to inquiring. "Then I'll see you later." she said as she stepped out the door, her brother sitting alone inside the room, his mind retreated in a deserted, foggy place.

~*~

["So if you make a teddy bear and give it to someone and that person responds by giving you a teddy bear as well and you two name the bear they received by the giver's name, you'll be in love forever."]

Those words rang through Sakura's head as she stood, implanted right in front of the craft shop. Why was she there anyhow? She herself wasn't sure either. She was just standing there, her eyes glued onto the shelves of teddy bear kits that were sitting temptingly inside the shop. Under some trance, Sakura started towards the door. What would it hurt to look just a little bit? There was probably a lot of other cute things as well.

However, her feet lead her straight to the teddy bear section and stopped right there. There was a variety of them, different colors and sizes. But again, why was she [here]? She was ignorant of the reason herself. She eyed one of the boxes with a picture of an adorable, flawless bear with brown-colored fur and beady black eyes. Her eyes, precedently glued onto the bear, moved to the other bears. [Which one was perfect?]

Sakura looked through the boxes. She didn't even know why she was here looking for a teddy bear. She didn't even love anyone... suddenly Syaoran came to her mind. Sakura shook her head furiously. 'He's engaged Sakura...' she told herself, but she knew it was too late. She wasn't always that dense. She was in love with Li Syaoran.

She abruptly stopped her mindless, fruitless search and returned the box she was currently holding. She was just being silly. It was just some romance-influenced story. A childish dream from someone's shaded, buried dreams from long ago. Nothing to behold with worthy regard. And her being in [love] with Li Syaoran? Yeah, maybe a childish crush... but it certainly wasn't love and that silly old legend... but...

Sakura shook her head. Of course, it was all in her head. She was only an eleven-year-old child. How could she [possibly] be in love? She'd never heard of a case like that, and people, the young and the old; the wise and the foolish, had all told her the exact same thing: she was impassibly childish at heart. She herself believed it as well, seeing to it that she nearly always felt cheerful. But then again, she's always had seemingly mature prospects on love, the kind that didn't require age for wisdom. An absolutely baffled Sakura trudged her way home. Possibly, her new life was just as difficult as her old, simple one.

~*~

"One... two... three..." Daidouji Tomoyo counted aloud, staring almost mindlessly up at he ceiling of her extravagant room, idly counting the cracks and things that were meant to have been fixed years ago. However, Tomoyo liked to have them up there so she had never wanted to tell her mother or any of her maids about it. Her mother. The thought of her sent a wave of flames through her body so Tomoyo decided not to get any further.

She rolled over onto her stomach, resting her chin upon her upturned hands. She knew she should have been working on her homework to turn in whenever she returned, but she just couldn't find the concentration to do just that. Lingering thoughts of Eriol haunted her. Excuse me, Hiiragizawa. When she had thanked him at that very moment, she couldn't help but feel an invisible connection between the two of them. It was a nice feeling, she had to admit, but it still scared her some.

However, it had been there, and she couldn't change that at all. She reached over and grabbed her book and a sheet of paper. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, instantly causing her to collapse down onto her soft, fluffy bed in reaction. She put her hands to her forehead to somehow cease the pain. In that instant, the sensation of Eriol's cool palm resting on her forehead came back to her. And to her ultimate surprise and horror, a smile found its way onto her face. Maybe Eriol wasn't such a bad person after all. Maybe.

~*~

Meiling pressed her hands upon the cool glass, peering in and smiling. A dress shop. She had watched these people thousands of times, girls picking dresses for parties, a little girl selecting one for a special visit to her grandparents, and occasionally, a young woman, beautiful and happy, going through the wedding dresses. Meiling was always such a little dreamer for romance, people would say. And it was true. Meiling had always been into dresses and weddings and just things like that. 

She had always been one into romance, happily weeping over romance movies when she was younger and now starting to read love novels. Syaoran had always rolled his eyes and said "not [that] again" or some snide comment such as that. Meiling smiled at those precious memories, watching one lady in particular going through the expensive, fancy gowns. She had always wanted to be in love, to tell the truth. But now that she might be close, she was scaring herself. And Syaoran.

Touya was one that came close - too close. And he was an older person by seven years as well. She knew that many other people her age had crushes on people older than themselves, but love? She had never heard of a strange case such as that. Until her heart had chosen a path. She sighed heavily shifting her eyes from the fancy frills and laces to the solid gray pavement. Maybe she was mistaken. Maybe she was wrong. She only was eleven, after all, how would she know what love was supposed to be like? However, that didn't persuade her. A doubt was still miserably hanging over her.

She turned to leave, the forgotten dresses pushed to the very back of her mind, a cloud of worry filling up her heart. What would Syaoran think? Tomoyo? Sakura? Her [mother]? [Touya]? To think that a member of the Li clan was in love at the age of eleven with someone a bit too much older than mandatory no matter how much magic he possessed. She would cause them shame, her mother, Syaoran, and Fang-Fei as well. She would cause herself shame. And that was one thing Meiling did not like.

As these thoughts clouded her mind, she passed by a much deserted , walking by a small alley. All of a sudden, a hand came flying to cover her mouth to keep it impenetrable from any sound, and an arm was wrapped around her waist and she was pulled into the alley. She was screaming, she knew, her scream filling her own years, deafening her. However, no one else heard it. She looked to her surrounding and there stood two men, dirty-looking and quite frightening, glaring menacingly at her.

"This [is] the Li girl, right?" one of them asked the other who nodded affirmatively in response. To check if anyone was watching, they snuck out from their dark corner to slowly sneak away. However, Meiling had a few tricks up her sleeve. As the man's hand was covering her mouth, she bit it, a bit disgustedly, however, still bit it. And then screamed at the top of her lungs, catching much of the people's attentions.

Maybe it was a miracle, maybe a coincidence, or maybe just pure luck. However, Touya was passing by this particular area at that particular moment, his mind concentrated on the errand he was on right now. However, the scream reached his ears and his eyes lit up, his ears in complete recognition. And as a second instinct, he turned on his heels running at top speed towards the sound of the scream. And he prayed. Praying that it may not be Meiling, in fear that she may be hurt or worse. And also praying that it may be her, just to see her once more, the distinct face, those passionately burning eyes, and beautiful raven-dark hair.

He skidded to a stop right across from the alley, seeing the figure of Meiling being held tightly in one man's arms in company with another, both frozen in shock and terror, frantic about what they were to do next. Touya clenched his teeth and hands, wanting to wring his neck for causing Meiling pain, [his] Meiling pain. Their only option was to run for it. However, Touya was not up to that plan at all.

"What the hell are you doing! Get away from her!" Touya yelled at the top of his lungs, running at him at full speed. How could anyone think of kidnaping an innocent 11-year-old child? But to Touya, Meiling just wasn't a child. No, she held a higher spot in his heart... He pushed these thoughts away for just a moment. Right now his priority was to retrieve Meiling before anything too drastic happened and he lost her, all in his fault. 

Luckily, Touya was a very speedy runner, a disadvantage for the two kidnappers who were also not very much into shape, causing Touya to catch up with them in a flash of light. "You're going to pay!" he yelled, every bit of anger evident in his very voice. And as soon as the duo had sensed Touya right behind, they turned, for a split second, threw Meiling towards Touya and continued running, hoping not to get caught. 

Touya frantically caught her, as if trying to keep a fragile treasure from shattering into pieces. He glared at the kidnappers' retreating backs, a hate burning passionately within himself. And then all attention was diverted to Meiling, who lay in his arms, eyes closed shut, knocked out from the surprise and shock of it all. And he stood there, staring down upon her, noticing how much her fierce features softened when she was in rest. A smile found its way to his face, a smile of gentleness and love for this helpless little girl at the moment. 

And when a clap rang out, that's when he realized all the people on the street was watching him with looks on their faces, waiting for him to look up so he would receive at least some sort of a reward. He blushed in embarrassment, realization that they were watching his every move dawned upon him. He bowed several times and then exited the scene with people staring confusedly at his receding back, hoping never to let something like that happen again.

~*~

Syaoran stood there, staring at the single cherry blossom that hand floated down onto his hand. His mind was pondering just how such a small little thing could hold so much beauty within itself. He mentally slapped himself and let the gentle breeze take the little blossom away, never to be seen again. He was thinking crazy, which he found himself doing a bountiful amount of times lately. He was engaged, future leader of the Li clan, and a son whose mother hung many hopes, dreams, and expectations upon. But to fall in love would cause those rising things to falter. And that was not a good thing of Li Syaoran.

"Little descendant, what are you doing here?" Syaoran froze at the sound of that voice, his teeth clenching up and his fists balled up tight. "What do [you] want, Hiiragizawa?" Syaoran spat out coldly. Opposing the fact that Syaoran had wanted to put Eriol down, that just put a smile on his face. "Can't I worry about my descendant?" Eriol queried with his usual innocent slyness. Syaoran rolled his eyes heavenward. When will this guy ever learn? However, sighing heavily, Syaoran promised to himself to try and live through just one conversation with this glassy-eyed devil.

"So you went to visit Tomoyo?" Syaoran inquired, trying to start life into a random conversation. That suspiciously caught Eriol by surprise and Syaoran gave him a long, hard side-glance. "Um, yeah." Somehow, that answer had come out with an unusually high voice. Syaoran squinted a suspicious eye at Eriol. "So what happened there?" This shot Eriol badly, ice running through his body. "I just gave her the homework." he responded, trying to remain as calm as possible. He knew that as dense as Syaoran can be sometimes, he also sometimes had the eye of a wise man and the protectiveness of a mother bear. "That's all?" "That's all." Not another word was exchanged between the two for a while, Syaoran in deep suspicion and Eriol drowning in thought.

The lingering silence was ringing in Syaoran's ears and he couldn't take it much longer. So he finally picked a topic to bring up. "So, about you and Tomoyo. Why do you two hate each other so much?" That question caught Eriol off-guard as well, and Syaoran wondered what was wrong with the cool and calm Hiiragizawa today. Eriol gained his composure in a matter of moments and gave Syaoran that indecipherable look that he usually did. "It would be too complicated to explain." Eriol responded, the smallest of smirks smeared on his face. Syaoran gave a huff.

"And what do you mean by that?" Syaoran inquired carefully, warning alerts dripping off every word. However, Eriol just ignored that. "Oh, nothing. It's just that the circumstances in the reasons are just too hard to explain." Syaoran gave Eriol another warning glare. Eriol just continued to smirk, his eyes shining a message, one that said plainly and loudly 'challenge me.' The two held up a staring contest for the longest time - one side with a hateful glint and the other with shining amusement.

"I better get going," Syaoran said, immediately halting the silent competition and putting on his school bag once more. "Me too. Much pleasure for our little run-in today," Eriol called out after Syaoran's retreating back, instantly hearing a snort, acknowledging the sarcasm. Suddenly the smirk on Eriol's face dissolved away, and he ran a hand through his hair, a habit that he had picked up from Syaoran. "What am I going to do?" he asked himself helplessly, sighing heavily as another picture of Daidouji flashed through his mind for about the millionth time that day.

~*~

"I'm home!" Sakura called out and proceeded to make it up the stairs, two steps at a time. "Tomoyo!" Sakura called as she pushed open the door to Tomoyo's room. "Yes?" Tomoyo answered, turning from her math paper. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it today!" Sakura apologized, seeing as Tomoyo simply smiled. "It's fine, Sakura." "I see that Eriol gave you all the homework alright." Tomoyo nodded, her eyes empty and emotionless, concealing the strange, slight twitching of her heart. But to Tomoyo's relief, Sakura didn't notice any of it.

"Are you feeling better?" Sakura asked tentatively in lack of anything better to say. Tomoyo nodded slowly. "Yes, a lot." Sakura smiled brightly. "That's good. You think you'll be able to make it to school tomorrow?" she asked warmly, instantly working up a warm feeling in Tomoyo's heart. This time Tomoyo smiled in a real happy sort of way and nodded her head enthusiastically. "Okay, I'll leave you to rest now. I have to get started on my homework anyways. See you later Tomoyo!" Sakura announced as she made her way to the door. Tomoyo nodded, half-listening, her eyes holding a distant gleam, a gleam that shined confusion in the most wondrous form.

~*~

Syaoran slowly trudged through the dry, dying leaves that covered the dirt path that was so familiar to him. The 'crunch, crunch' sound that arose from the leaves that crumbled under his feet played a steady beat to the thoughts that ran through his head, the oh-so-familiar thoughts that had ran through his mind oh-so-many times, however, the thoughts never seemed to tire out. But it was becoming routine to him, and it was sending chills up his spine and bittersweet, almost painful, jolts to his heart every time.

His pace speed picked up as he unsuccessfully attempted to shift his train of thought. If he succeeded and he kept at it, maybe, just maybe he wouldn't have to bring such pain to Fang-Fei, such confusion and bittersweet aching to his heart, such dishonor to his own family. Just maybe. Simple thoughts would work. Yes, simple thoughts to replace those thoughts that sweetly poisoned his mind and enlightened his heart in a way that shouldn't. Thoughts such as 'is Tomoyo doing ok?', 'why is Meiling acting so strange lately?, and 'how should the training techniques be improved?'.

However, to his extreme distaste, the sweetly frustrating train of thought didn't cease to stick to his mind. In fact, it seemed to grip on even more tightly in fear that cold-hearted Syaoran would lose this new experience of bittersweet feeling flooding him, in fear that if this was released, Li Syaoran would cease to find true love ever again. As aware his heart was of this, his mind seemed to antagonize completely. "God dammit!" he cursed in a booming voice as his leg swung over to forcefully kick a tree. The thin tree gave a fairly large tremble of acknowledgment, acknowledgment of Syaoran's confusion, anger, and frustration, all that was packed into one and delivered in form of a kick to a defenseless tree.

Syaoran's chest rapidly puffed out forward and back then repeating the two simple steps again and again, showing his frustration in a simpler form of quick, blunt breaths. Why was this haunting him so much? This feeling that kept his heart almost at a barrier within a cage whenever he thought of her, reprimanding him harshly, sharply reminding him of his duties and limitations. Those bitter limitations of a warrior. However, whenever his presence was near hers, just looking at her into those shining emerald eyes, sent his tightly locked-up heart battering against the bars of the tight cage, sending a sharp ache in his chest, one that he ceased to get used to.

He sighed heavily. His breathing slowed down and the anger and frustration was slowly drained from his body, leaving behind an exhausted Syaoran. What was he to do? He couldn't go on like this, loving with limitations from afar, keeping his secret from his locked destination to a warrior. If he had explained this theory to any passing one on the street, they would stare and laugh, in amusement of a little boys silly theories and crazy ideas of love. "Just because you're destined to be a warrior, a leader of a powerful clan, your heart isn't free to love?" These words would exactly be what would pop out from the person's mouth. 

But what they didn't understand was the understanding and feeling that was installed into his mind, programmed so that would be the rule he would live by, never to be violated or betrayed. The clan had put on him a lot of weight, weight that would discipline him and teach him from right and wrong for a person that had a tight destination, a high expectation. If he would betray all that with a funny emotion from the heart, wouldn't he let all that down, let all the weight pull him down and crush him, left helpless and hopeless for people to stare down and shake their heads in a sorry 'tsk, tsk' manner, something he wouldn't be able to tolerate, something he had to beat and not let something as weak as love.

As Syaoran was unaware that he had been wandering around that small area of dirt path for five minutes pondering his ever-so confusing love, Touya was walking up that very same path, Meiling resting in his arms, a peaceful look now settled onto her face as she had a special person's arms around her, holding her tight to his chest, willing to risk anything and everything to keep the precious being in his arms safe and secure. Syaoran stopped stepping around mindlessly, as he sensed somebody's presence, and he turned only to find Touya with his sister in his arms.

All thoughts seemed to try and scatter, in fear that Sakura's over-protective older brother would find out what complications were swimming around in Syaoran's head. However, on the outside, Syaoran's eyes seemed to narrow by a very large amount and his scowl darkened, wondering just why Meiling would be found unconscious in Touya's arms. Touya had stopped, completely lost on what exactly the younger boy would be thinking right now as he focused a severe look straight into his own eyes, making him even nervous.

"What happened?" Syaoran abruptly demanded after an almost eternal-like silence. Touya paused momentarily, attempting to find a way to explain the situation at hand without making it sound too imaginary or, to put it bluntly, insane. How in all of hell would he be able to explain to Meiling's over-protective twin brother that a couple of unruly men were about to kidnap his sister to put her on ransom or, if anything else, God-knows-what. 

Syaoran stood there, his suspicious growing by the second. He wanted to know what had happened and every single detail. "Well, you see," Touya started, Syaoran staring on expectantly, "Meiling was nearly kidnaped, and I rescued her. I had planned to bring her straight home and let her rest away the trauma, but instead I bumped into you." The glare that Syaoran was boring into Touya was starting to annoy him. So, in a defensive response, Touya's eyes started to involuntarily narrow as well, ultimately starting a small staring contest.

A bit of Syaoran's guard was let down as he let out a small sigh. "Give Meiling here." Syaoran ordered gruffly, finally looking away. Touya kept a disliking eye on Syaoran as he handed him his twin sister. Syaoran proceeded to get Meiling onto his back as a piggy-back ride. Although Meiling was not that much shorter than Syaoran, she was held nice and easy as if it didn't take Syaoran any strength whatsoever. Touya released everything with a heavy sigh, and then slipped his hands into his pockets, trudging along the dirt path, the same condition Syaoran had been, the same, infamous problems clouding his mind and pulling his heart.

~*~

"I'm home." Eriol called out with a worn out voice, taking off his bag and making his way to his special red 'throne.' "Back, Eriol-sama? Dinner will be ready soon!" Nakuru called out to inform him. Spinel rolled his eyes at the thought of the other guardian. "I suggest you don't feast on her meal tonight. She's attempting to make orange chicken." Spinel said to Eriol, still rolling her eyes. "Geez, Suppi, I heard that!" Nakuru whined from the kitchen, obviously a simpler way to say that her orange chicken was just fine. Eriol gave a small chuckle although he wasn't all that amused. His mind was tired from thinking about [her] all day long, and his heart was heavy with confusion and frustration, just about the same condition that a few other people were in.

"Right, Eriol-sama?" This broke Eriol away from his thoughts and led him to turn his head. "Hm? Oh, yes, sure." Petty little arguments between Spinel and Nakuru and such weren't the top of the priority list, one would speculate. Eriol hurriedly answered them and took the chance to escape to his room where the calm air would allow him a chance to let the blood flow in his head normally. He let himself collapse onto his bed, leaving himself to stare up at the ceiling idly, his eyes holding a faraway look, a distant glow, a look that told the world that his head was tangled in situations too complicated for magic to solve.

He turned onto his stomach and gave a deep sigh. He was tired of this. Tired of his mind being cluttered with endless thoughts of [her], the one he was supposed to hate, supposed to loathe. On the contrary, here he was, lying face-down on his bed, wondering about how terrible life would be without her, yet at the same time would do him much good considering the fact that his brain wouldn't lose so many cells just simply pondering about any subject on her. He found himself sighing once more as he pushed himself back up into a sitting position.

[Tomoyo finally took a deep breath. "I want to thank you, Hiiragizawa. For everything."] As the memory was recalled onto his mind, Eriol couldn't help but smile, feeling the swelling happiness in his heart. He reached for his bag and took out the materials needed for his assignment that night. However, his heart was unexpectedly light and sweet, a complete contrast to the state it was in just seconds ago. Maybe love wasn't such a poison to your heart after all. However, it was a very peculiarly strange thing. Very strange indeed.

~*~

Tomoyo liked it. She liked the feeling of the cool wood against her forehead. After all, she was still sick with fever. She had insisted that she was feeling much better and that she should go to school. She [was] missing days of valuable lesson, and it was also giving her precious time away from her mother whom she was still pretty much frustrated with. And despite the high feeling of temperature that aroused on anyone's hand when it came in contact with her forehead, the maids were insisted that she was just fine. Sakura believed all that as well, as Tomoyo was a smart, honest girl that would know if she wasn't sick or not. However, what Kinomoto Sakura didn't understand was the reason why they had to come to school so friggin' early.

Few teachers were around and the sky wasn't absolutely lit just yet. And it was 6:00 in the morning. Sakura gave a yawn as she covered her mouth with her hand to avoid rudeness. "You're tired too, Tomoyo?" Sakura queried sleepily, her eyes half-open in a drowsy sort of look. Tomoyo didn't answer as she was half-asleep herself. However, the lack of response didn't stop Sakura with her inquiries. "Explain to me again Tomoyo, why did we have to come this early, please?" Sakura asked as she yawned another time, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. This time Tomoyo spoke up.

"Because, Sakura, being in school early is a good thing. Don't you just [love] the feeling you get when you're sitting in your seat in your classroom?" Tomoyo responded drowsily with a voice out of the range of "normal". However, Sakura was just too tired to notice. "Oh yeah, huh." And with that Sakura let her head drop onto her desktop with a small "bang", and her half-open, sleepy emerald eyes finally closed to regain the lack of sleep she got from waking up much earlier than the right time she usually woke up to meet.

Tomoyo was trying her best not to doze off. If she did, Mr. Terada would walk in the classroom, finding the two of them asleep and pretty much out of it. And if any other classmates happened to come by earlier than the teacher as well, there they would be, sleeping away. Tomoyo lifted her head up and off from the wooden desk top only to have it come straight back down. Whenever she lifted up her head, the world would start spinning and she would no doubt feel sick to her stomach. She just couldn't seem to sit up, causing her to start regretting her decision.

The sound of the door sliding open sent Tomoyo's head shooting up. "Good morn-" Tomoyo was just about to greet the unknown person just when she saw exactly who it was. "H-Hiiragizawa-" she stuttered just before she slipped out of her seat and came crashing to the floor. Eriol, bewildered by the scene before him, came rushing to her side in anxious worry. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Eriol asked hurriedly as he pulled Tomoyo to her feet, and was surprised as Tomoyo fell forward, falling onto his chest. They simply stood there for a split second, Eriol's arms around her in support, both completely aware of the awkward position.

Tomoyo was the first to clear her throat as she managed to get out of his arms, looking down at her feet. 'What are you [doing], Tomoyo? Don't act like a fool!' she rebuked herself, forcing herself to lift her head so that her eyes were facing the other's fearlessly and with pride. "Thank you for the help-" but before she could finish the sentence she stopped her words abruptly and brought her hand to her face, closing her eyes to try and make the extreme dizziness flee away. "Are you alright?" Eriol queried again in worry. Tomoyo shook her head curtly and made her way for the door. This was getting to be too much for her.

"Ah, where are you going?" Eriol inquired again, trying with all his will to keep at least some of his worry from showing through his wretched voice. "I'm just going to the nurse to lie down." And this was when she tripped once again. Eriol, in a quick reaction, jumped to her side and caught her just in time. This time, their eyes locked for a split second, before Tomoyo averted them. "Are you alright?" Eriol asked just once more, this time in a soft whisper, almost as if the wrong words could shatter Tomoyo forever. She nodded, and then smiled while she got back into a standing position.

"I'm so clumsy. I'm sorry you had to see that Hiiragizawa." Tomoyo apologized while starting to walk, although quite crookedly. Eriol smiled to himself and followed her out. In this condition, dear Tomoyo needed someone to watch over her. And he might as well be one to do just that. And as they were walking the distance to the nurse, Tomoyo couldn't help but wonder how Hiiragizawa and herself just came to be like this. How funny, just yesterday, there she was loathing Hiiragizawa for all he's worth, and now... they were what you might call friends. However, Tomoyo thought almost differently. Almost differently.

~*~

The air was cold as far as Syaoran knew. His school uniform seemed very thin right about now and he wished that the school allowed uniform winter jackets to be worn in the fall as well. And as much as he wanted to get into the warm school, he didn't speed up his pace. 6:20. The members of his family gave him a strange look and inquired with his early timing. He simply had shrugged and walked out, trudging along the way. No thoughts of training lingering in his mind, what he usually did when he got up early in the morning. What he really wanted to do was think and sort out his feelings, if it even helped. So far, it didn't.

The school was starting to approach and he gave a heavy sigh. At least he would be warm now. As he stepped in the school, his thoughts averted to Tomoyo. He wondered, was she okay? After all, she was his one and only best friend despite all things. And he also worried. He had known for a pretty long time now. He had known her long enough to know that she did just about the craziest things to save her pride, do her best, and other such things. He hoped, hoped with all his heart, that today she wasn't crazy enough to show up.

He was approaching his classroom, hoping that Tomoyo wasn't there yet. He put his hand on the door handle and paused for a second in hope that he wouldn't see Tomoyo in there. He slid it open, peered in, and rather than seeing Tomoyo, he saw Sakura sleeping peacefully upon her desk. For a second, he just stood there, staring at her, afraid that if he dared to step in, her peaceful slumber would shatter. However, he stepped in, still rather quietly, and made his way towards his desk. He shook his head. This was the work of Tomoyo once again.

He kneeled down with eye level to Sakura's face, just simply staring. It brought peace to his heart, surprisingly, the same girl that caused him all his trouble. A small smile made its way to his face as he continued to stare at her, his face only inches away from hers and he was oh-so-terribly aware of the closeness. But there he was, stuck, his eyes never moving its gaze and rarely blinking. His breath involuntarily stopped, and there he was, holding his breath, staring at the girl that had unexpectedly taken his heart away with such professional innocence. He brought his hand to her face and brushed a stray strand away from her face. It was a sight to see indeed, the cold and aloof Syaoran being so tender and gentle with such an average little girl. And indeed, this sight Eriol did see.

"What are you doing there, my little descendant?" Eriol inquired with his usual sly and mischievous voice. Syaoran jumped back five feet, his heart giving a giant leap. He turned his eyes toward Eriol and narrowed them in a death glare. But still, that didn't scare Eriol. Rather, it just satisfied him. Eriol simply stood there with a steady smirk. However, inside, he was just glad that Tomoyo still wasn't here. 

Sakura started to stir, and her emerald eyes opened. Her eyes were blank for a second, wondering where she was at the moment. Then it hit her. Her head shot up and she saw Syaoran and Eriol. She abruptly stood up and bowed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry! Was I sleeping long? Was I being rude?" Sakura asked in a jumble of words, completely embarrassed. Syaoran just shook his head, avoiding eye contact. He couldn't face her after Eriol caught him. "No, of course not. Let's just say someone enjoyed watching you sleep." Eriol said slyly, earning glares from Syaoran. Predictably, Sakura gave a small "hoe?".

~*~

Tomoyo closed her eyes as her head rested against the pillow of a bed in the nurse's office. She just knew about the scolding she would receive from all her maids and guards. "Miss Tomoyo, you shouldn't go around when you are sick. Please, don't be so stubborn and get your rest!" She could just hear their voices inside her head as if it wasn't aching and pounding enough. Anyways, her guards were on their way and soon enough, she would be back home in her bed. For now, the nurse had told her to rest, and as the last of her was drifting away to dream world, a memory from earlier appeared in her thoughts, carrying over to her dreams...

[As Tomoyo half-staggered to the designated place, Eriol followed her, ready at any time to catch her when she would stumble, trip, or plain collapse. Soon enough, the two made it to the office to find the nurse not exactly ready to work just yet. As they waited, silence had taken over them. Eriol kept glancing at her every now and then to see her in deep thought. About what, he wasn't sure at all.]

[Tomoyo had been pondering. Pondering about what exactly had caused this sudden and contrasting change in the bond between her and Eriol. Or if you would exactly call what they had a "bond". On the other hand, Eriol was getting uncomfortable with the surprisingly "loud" silence. "Um, Daidouji?" Eriol said with an unusually high voice and a very informal manner in which he reprimanded himself for. "Yes?" Tomoyo answered in a voice that most obviously sounded sick. However, to Eriol, it was unexplainably sweet, sweeter than he would imagine.]

["This coming Tuesday, Meiling wants to go to the beach as the forecasts say that day is going to be warm for a fall day. Would you like to go?" Eriol asked, smiling hopefully, a real smile, not a smirk as he usually gave Tomoyo. She turned her eyes on him, shaking off the oncoming thought that it sounded like an invitation to a date. For a second, she studied his face, absorbing in those sincere eyes and sweet smile, a smile she hadn't seen in a while. And then the corners of her mouth turned up as well. "Of course Hiiragizawa." she whispered in lack of strength. "Then you better rest up." he advised teasingly, winking at her. She nodded in agreement, and there they sat the rest of the time, not saying anything, but this time a peaceful silence had took over, a soothing one.]

"Ojou-sama, Ojou-sama, wake up." Tomoyo opened her eyes slowly to find one of her guards gently shaking her. She sat up, feeling a low, dull ache pounding in her head. "Let's get you going." her guard said, and helped Tomoyo up and start walking. Tomoyo held up a hand to her forehead, trying to disperse the pain away. While in the midst of all this, she wondered in the back of her mind, a small curious wonder, why in all of the earth was she dreaming about that particular conversation she had with Hiiragizawa? 

She had to admit, after breaking the enemy crap, she was free from a lot of stress, but it was just all very strange and unfamiliar to her. To have her worst enemy, Hiiragizawa Eriol, be her [friend]. That was a strange thought, and she wondered just what [Syaoran] would think. He was also pretty much enemies with Hiiragizawa as well. But even as these thoughts ran through her head, she couldn't imagine being back into an enemy relationship with Eriol. It just didn't hit her as such a great idea - or feeling for that mater. She closed her eyes and put her head back onto the leather seats of her limo. She'd think about all of life's problems later. She couldn't think of such things, after all, she had a trip to look forward to and rest up for.

~*~

A soft breeze blew around a trio as they walked home from school, just like any group of friends. However, no chatter rose among them as it would among a gather children, talking about the day they had at school, complaining about the difficult assignment that was given to them that day in school, or just chatting about small life problems in their pre-teenage world. It appeared as each of them seemed to be in deep thought, a distant light glowing within their eyes, a light that reflected just a piece of what could have been going on within their young minds.

"So, my little descendants, how was school?" Eriol spoke up, trying to keep the thought of what had happened earlier off his mind and starting a conversation. Syaoran was interrupted from his thoughts, and then he turned to glare at Eriol. "You were there with us, remember?" he spat out bitterly, thinking distastefully of the comment Eriol had made to Sakura earlier. "Fine." Meiling replied, in a distant, monotonous voice. Syaoran and Eriol both put their gazes on her, wondering what could be troubling her so.

"Meiling, are you alright?" Eriol proceeded to ask in place of her brother, earning another glare from him. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine! Nothing to worry over!" Meiling exclaimed reassuringly, pasting on her face a smile, a fake one at that. Eriol studied her carefully while Syaoran rose an eyebrow. Meiling glanced at the two. "What?" she asked innocently, knowing that they had sensed her falseness. Before they would ask anymore, she turned around abruptly. "Um, I have something to do right now. I'll see you both later. Bye!" And from that instant, she broke out into a sprint, leaving the two staring after her quickly retreating back. As she ran away into the distance, Syaoran had a feeling that he knew exactly where she was going.

~*~

As Touya sat, attempting to give full concentration to his assignment that night, he found that doing just that was an impossible task. His mind couldn't help but wander away, away to the girl that he had rescued just yesterday. He tapped the desk with his pencil ceaselessly as if it would bring him to concentration, but to no avail. It was a little girl, for Heaven's sake! A girl his own [sister's] age! Heaven [dare] him to believe that he could possibly be in love with a girl that was so forbiddenly young. He laughed at himself. How could he even think that? However, his laughter died and so did his smile and all the amusement that could be squeezed out of this serious situation. Serious, even if Touya wished the world that it wasn't.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at his door and his head snapped up. "Come in." he called, and then the knob of the door slowly and tentatively turned. The door was pushed open, and there stood Meiling, the most unreadable look he had ever seen set on her face. "May I help you?" he asked, ignoring the slow-rising feeling of contentment in his stomach. Meiling stepped into the room just a bit further. "I just never got to properly thank you for yesterday. If it wasn't for you... who knows where I would be right now?" Touya stared as she spoke while fidgeting with her hands and staring down at her feet. And, at that moment, everything seemed to be perfect and just right.

Touya reached a hand over and rested it on Meiling's shoulder. She looked up, a bright blush spread evenly across the middle of her face. "You don't need to thank me. I'd do anything for you, after all, your brother would surely kill me if I didn't." Touya winked as he said the last part, the pace of his heartbeat quickening up by the second. Meiling smiled, happiness radiating from it, which looked absolutely the most beautiful thing Touya had ever come across in his life. "Now, you better get going and do your homework before it gets late." Meiling nodded in response before giving a small bow and then turning to leave the room, the biggest of smiles on her face and on his as well.

~*~

Syaoran glanced at the clock. 12:30. He yawned and looked down at the piece of paper down before him. It was Sunday night, and there was school tomorrow. Excuse me. There was school today, as it was early Monday morning. The pen in his hand awaited, waited for his hand to use it to write a song, a song that was due in less then a week. For, you see, the contest would be held on the Friday of that week. Sakura had been waiting all that time to for him to write a simple song. All due to his languidness. But he just couldn't seem to write a song. All the words that came to his mind revolved around ...

"What's wrong with me? God dammit!" he whispered fiercely, letting his head slam onto his desk. He let it stay there for a while, until the throbbing in his head went away. He lifted his head and stared down at the clean white sheet of paper. There it lay, almost challenging him to write just what was on his mind. He sighed. He had no choice but to do just that. As he set his pen down on the sheet, words poured out from his mind, actually rather his heart, and he worked there 'til dawn.

~*~

What Syaoran hadn't known was that while he was writing his own song, his best friend was sitting in her room as well, late into the night. Her cold had died down completely, and she was pretty content. But what to write, what to write? Unaware of Syaoran's similar situation, all that was filling her mind were lyrics that had to do with her unrequited love. Her mind traced back and thought about the way her "friendship" with Hiiragizawa was going. No, she was certain he wouldn't tease her. Certain. With lack of anything else to write about, she sat there, writing, editing, and re-editing her song. It had to be perfect, absolutely perfect.

And as soon as she added the finishing touches, she fell asleep right then and there, Syaoran filling her thoughts and dreams. He appeared, giving her the smile she had always dreamed that he would, and she was happy, absolutely happy. The only problem was that she was only dreaming. Only dreaming. That morning, she woke up to the sound of the maids pleading her to wake up. That day was the first day that she was nearly late to school.

~*~

"Syaoran, you okay?" Syaoran turned his head and saw Meiling staring at him worriedly. He groggily shook his head and then put his head back down. "What time did you sleep last night?" she prodded again, curious to see what was wrong with her brother. "Huh? Oh, I [didn't] sleep." Meiling cocked her head curiously, her eyes shining with question. "You see, I was writing the song. Apparently, it took all night." Syaoran replied, yawning audaciously for his usual behavior.

"Ooh, let me see! Please Syaoran?" Meiling pleaded, jumping up from her seat, attaining quite a bit of attention. Syaoran handed the lyric sheet to her, his head down all the while. Her eyes scanned the paper, shining. "Aww, Syaoran, it's wonderful!" she squealed, crushing the rather poor sheet of paper to her chest. "How did you come up with it?" she asked curiously. At times like these, Syaoran wished that his sister wasn't so curious all the time. He blushed heavily. "I don't know." he answered unconvincingly, immediately lighting a sly smile to Meiling's face. 

"Oh, I see, Syaoran." she spoke, her voice dripping with sweet slyness, spreading the paper out in front of her, ready to read the lyrics. Suddenly, a sound of pounding footsteps was followed by the sound of the door sliding open. "We made it!" Sakura shouted in victory, panting all the while. Tomoyo was next to her, her breathing labored as well. Syaoran had never moved so fast in his life as he jumped out of his seat and snatched the piece of paper away from Meiling, and sat back down, stuffing the paper into his bag.

Sakura and Tomoyo dragged themselves to their seats and sat down, letting themselves fall into it. "Good morning." Sakura mumbled, getting a response from Meiling. However, Syaoran just sat there, his face color completely red. Tomoyo looked behind her, and saw that the usual person wasn't sitting there today. Eriol's desk stood empty, lighting an instinctual worry in Tomoyo's mind. "Where's Hiiragizawa?" she inquired, turning to Meiling. "I'm right here, Daidouji." a familiar and much-wanted voice spoke. She snapped around and saw Eriol's face smiling or smirking back at hers - either one fit. "That worried I see." he teased, earning a scowl from her.

Tomoyo blushed a tiny, tiny amount - to her ultimate horror - and she snapped back around. "Don't be an idiot, Hiiragizawa. Of course it was only because we have to practice for the duet today, remember?" Tomoyo reasoned pridefully, extinguishing the very unwanted blush away immediately. Eriol smiled again. "Whatever you say Daidouji." Eriol teased. "Whatever you say." And not much attention was paid to the little scenario as Syaoran was blushing away and Sakura sat there, still to the very moment, trying to catch her breath. However, Meiling heard every word, caught every double-meaning implication, sensed the emotions that were betraying every word, every expression. And she wondered, just what the heck was going on between these two former enemies?

~*~

Meiling sighed, bored. Very bored. Sakura and Syaoran had gone off to work on the duet, and same with Tomoyo and Eriol, leaving Meiling alone with no one to play with, talk to. It seemed as if everyone was in pairs but her. If she hadn't heard wrong from Touya, Yukito and Nakuru, the "weird kid's" guardian were happily bounded in love, and also, her sister Feimei was "together" with a classmate of theirs. Of course, Meiling wouldn't have heard it from her sister directly. Feimei never told Meiling anything about her personal school life.

Meiling sighed. The thought of the small talk she had with Touya yesterday returning to her mind. Every minute, every second seemed special to her. She was happy even when she just caught sight of him. It was actually very unnerving and she didn't know what to do about it. "What are you doing just standing there?" an all-too-familiar voice called out to her. She snapped around to find Touya standing behind her. She stumbled a few steps back. "Ah, um nothing. Just trying to find something to do cause, you see... everyone else is busy and I have no homework so..." she trailed off, feeling awkward.

"So you're in the same situation as me, huh? Then, let's just go take a walk, shall we?" Touya suggested, smiling easily. Meiling stared wide-eyed. Spending a walk with Touya, alone? Things just couldn't get any sweeter! Meiling nodded in agreement. "Shall we?" he asked charismatically, smiling at Meiling. Her cheeks colored brightly and she nodded, smiling happily and following his lead.

As they walked together, at first they found that conversation was just beyond there reach. If only they could strike up an interesting conversation in which both could engage. "So, you do know who's chaperoning you to the beach tomorrow, right?" Touya asked casually in lack of anything better to say. "Tomoyo's bodyguards, I believe." Meiling responded, twiddling her fingers in nervousness. "They can't go, so their sending," Touya paused and sighed before continuing. "me, Yuki, and Akizuki." he groaned, thinking about all the trouble that would strike up the following day. Meiling's heart gave a little jump.

"But I [really] do wish that Akizuki wasn't going. If only that little weird kid wasn't going..." Touya mumbled, trailing off at the last part. Meiling laughed heartily and looked up at him. "Hey, don't tease Eriol! He's really nice!" she protested jokingly, her laughter fading from the intense look that had crossed his face. "What's wrong?" she queried in a curious voice. "Ah, oh nothing." he shook it off, also trying to shake off the jealous pang he got when she mentioned Eriol. He side-glanced at Meiling, who walked alongside him, her pace fast to keep up with his long strides, a confused look pasted onto her face, a rare, a very rare blush crossing his face.

Meiling was confused. Very confused. The suddenly serious look that Touya had gotten was almost frightening, and Meiling wanted to know why he looked so damn unhappy all of a sudden. She tried to clear her head of these thoughts, trying to think up of more conversations to bring up. There were many things that they still didn't know about each other, and she was curious. Curious about him, Touya. In the back of her mind, however, a small existing flame burned. The happiness that she couldn't help but feel when he had told her that he would be chaperoning them. And that was all to make Meiling happy.

~*~

Fang-Fei kicked a pebble and watched it roll down the street. She sighed wistfully as the scene of earlier had come back to her mind. It was no doubt what Syaoran had written in his lyrics. It was written all over his face. Of course, she hadn't said anything. She wasn't affected, she wasn't supposed to care anymore, remember? But still, slowly, very slowly, a tear made its way down her cheek, dropping onto the ground in one, neat drop of crystal. But still. It hurt so much. So, so, [so] much.

~*~

Eriol knew it. He had just known it. An unappreciated feeling of envy and sorrow came over him as he read the lyrics that Tomoyo had slaved over so last night. Tomoyo spoke nothing, and Eriol felt like he knew why. "They're very good, Daidouji. Very... beautiful." he complimented barely above a whisper, handing the sheet of paper back to Tomoyo. "Thank you." she answered in the same volume of voice, keeping her eyes glued to the glossy, wooden floor of Eriol's house. It was smooth and polished, very kempt and orderly. It made her wonder if it was magic.

"How about we put the song together now?" he suggested, and was responded with a curt nod. They made way to his music room, both unusually silent with surprisingly heavy hearts. Not a word was exchanged, and Eriol took a seat at his piano, playing the music one last time before she would sing to it. As they practiced, edited, and practiced some more, both couldn't help but feel sorrow, a bitter emotion of blueness. The reasons were also ambiguous and obscure, especially for Tomoyo. Why did she feel such guilt as she had looked upon the look on Eriol's face. But the tears clearly stung as she sang the song, the song that seemed to cry out to Syaoran, "just notice me once, just once ... please ... ?"

~*~

Sakura's delicate face was colored red, very much a dark scarlet color. The lyrics that Syaoran had written were so ... familiar. It was almost as if the words were calling out to her, saying "this is how you feel, don't you?", mocking her, challenging her. "Th-they're [really] nice!" she emphasized, nervously handing back the sheet. "Eh, thanks." Syaoran responded as monotonous and indifferent as he could to keep the exuberance from spilling over in his voice. She had complimented him after all.

"I think we should work on the whole song now." Sakura said, Syaoran nodding in agreement. "I think you should sing the lyrics. You've probably got a better singing voice than mine, and this is obviously something a girl would sing ..." Syaoran trailed off, awkwardly trapped. Sakura smiled and nodded. "Sure." she agreed, reaching back for the sheet. She stopped and turned an inquisitive look towards Syaoran. "But what are you going to use for the music?" Syaoran sighed and looked away, blushing. "I have an old guitar I used to play..."

~*~

Meiling sighed. A stroll around the park and dinner. Almost like... a date. Meiling blushed heavily and shook away those thoughts. A date? She figured she had finally flipped out. But she was happy, nonetheless. Finishing the day with a walk home alongside Touya was perfect, absolutely perfect. Somehow it seemed that even though the lived under the same roof, they didn't spend enough time. But every moment spent with Touya was sweet and perfect and was golden. And what she didn't know was that it was just the same for Touya. Just the same.

~*~

"You think it's done?" Tomoyo asked, glancing at Eriol. He nodded solemnly, mindlessly pressing a few bars of the piano in a random tune. An awkward silence had come over the two of them as Eriol continued playing the unidentified melody and Tomoyo standing there, waiting for the other to make a gesture, say a word. "Well, I better get going." Tomoyo said, breaking the silence. Eriol gave an acknowledging nod and got up from his spot on the piano. Tomoyo gave him an inquisitive eye. "I'll walk you home." he explained shortly and led her to the door.

The two stepped out into the fresh, cool night air. Every time a breath was released, a cloud would momentarily appear in the air and then just vanish. Eriol looked over at Tomoyo, who was walking with her head down. He averted his eye before she would catch him. Eriol cleared his throat, catching Tomoyo's attention. "So, what do you think about our song?" he asked, trying to start up a casual conversation. "I think it's fine." Tomoyo answered nonchalantly, not looking back up at him. "Er, that's good." Eriol responded back devoid of a better response.

They stayed that way for the rest of the way to her house, silent and speechless. Soon enough, Tomoyo's house, or rather mansion, appeared into view, and Eriol felt a strange mixed emotion of gladness and disappointment. They had nothing to say which was apparently rather uncomfortable. But it was still almost sweet just walking alongside Tomoyo. But it was also bitter knowing that here Tomoyo was, walking by his side while wishing that another was by her side. Very, very painful. Before he knew it, they had stopped in front of her house.

For a moment, they stood there, not knowing what to say. "Practice a lot for the competition. I will with my piano." Eriol started, fortunately. Tomoyo nodded in agreement. "I'll see you tomorrow at the beach." Tomoyo spoke albeit awkwardly. "Okay." he answered contemplating to turn and walk away. He backed up just a bit and started to walk towards his home. Then he heard a "Wait, Hiiragizawa." He looked over his shoulder, one of his eyebrows raised. "Good night and thank you." Tomoyo nearly whispered. But still, Eriol heard every word. He smiled, a small but genuine smile. "You too, Daidouji. Good night." he answered and waited to see Tomoyo get past her gate. That was enough to bring a smile to a depressed Eriol's face. But, what in all of hell did she thank him for?

~*~

Sakura hummed their completed song as she skipped home. It had a catchy tune and the words were just... applicable to herself. Syaoran gave a sideways glance, almost humiliated with the ardently ridiculous lyrics he had come up with. However, Sakura seemed to like them. And that was enough, he supposed. It was strange, Syaoran mused as he thought about the practice time he had spent with them mysterious girl. It seemed as if he had no negative feelings towards her, no matter what she does. Of course, the revelation that he was in love with her was already pretty damn clear to him, but to feel this much affection for someone was just frightening. For Li Syaoran, of course.

"You're [really] good at playing the guitar!" Sakura commented in the sudden moment, turning towards Syaoran with sparkling eyes and colored cheeks. Syaoran's face colored as well, and he abruptly turned his head. "Aa. Thank you." he responded almost nonchalantly, his mind telling him to do so while his heart telling him to do the exact opposite. "I really hope that we do well! I'll try my best!" Sakura exclaimed in her common way, her requisite way of words. Syaoran nodded quietly, savoring the little time left he had with Sakura as her home approached. Why he savored, he didn't know, but it just seemed to set itself in that way instinctively, as if he'd been accustomed to his love for Sakura since long ago.

Despite the chill in the night air, Sakura felt just as cheerful and happy as she usually did, just standing there, next to Syaoran. It was a warm feeling, an attraction that didn't match up to anything she faced back in the orphanage. Yes, she had silly crushes, and other boys had silly crushes on her, but nothing like this. Like as if a piece of Heaven had landed on Earth and the only way to savor its perfect sweetness was to be with Syaoran, the first boy she had ever fallen in love with. The only boy she felt she would ever fall in love with. The Syaoran who had stolen her heart unexpectedly, without a tactic or a strategy. Just like that. Strange, really.

She took a deep breath. "Thank you for walking me home. That's really nice and thoughtful of you, Li. A lot nicer than my brother could ever be to me." Sakura thanked gladly, her voice radiating with gratitude and slow, sweet happiness. Like a sweet cherry soda on a rainy day. Or an ice cream cone on a summer night. That summed up the sweetness that was emitted. Syaoran gave a slow and small, but still genuine smile. "You're welcome." he said quietly yet clearly. Sakura smiled another time before turning to the gate. "I'll practice hard! And I'll see you tomorrow! Have a good night!" she used her ambiguously charming cheerfulness once more before turning and skipping a half-sort of way. Syaoran smiled contentedly at her retreating back. 'You have a good night too.' he thought before turning back and returning home, head and up and looking the world in its eyes.

~*~

It was pretty. Really pretty. Sakura's head popped out of the clear, ocean water. The weather that day was apparently wonderful, as Meiling had expected, and Sakura just loved the ocean. Below the surface, a different world would appear, one that many people were afraid of. Fish swam gracefully, families of coral grew in a broad band of colors, and the seaweed danced back and forth. Sakura loved this world, during the daytime at least. During the nighttime... Sakura was just a bit afraid that a ghost would rise up from the dead souls of the ocean to haunt her. She shivered at the thought.

Her head broke through the surface and she looked towards the shore, waiting a second for the blur in her eyes to clear. "Sakura! We're going to play beach volleyball!" Sakura saw Meiling waving her hand wildly in the distance, looking excited and alive. Sakura smiled and went on swimming towards the shore. As soon as she stepped on the surfacing sand, Meiling had already grabbed Sakura's arm, whining in an excited sort of way that she had taken way too long. Sakura laughed along and smiled with her as well. Little did she know that Syaoran was watching her from a short distance away.

"Tomoyo are you going to play?" Sakura queried hopefully, turning to Tomoyo who was distantly staring into space. "Huh? Oh, no. I-I'm just going to go for a swim." Meiling blinked once, twice. "Um, ok Tomoyo." Confusion shrouded her. "If you ever want to play, we'll be glad to bring you in." Meiling added, almost to cover up for Tomoyo. She smiled. Not too big, but still a smile. "Thank you." she said barely above a whisper before going towards the water. "Fang-Fei?" She looked up to see Meiling, looking at her tentatively.

Meiling had a feeling - no, she knew - that this would be a mistake, but she nonetheless held out the ball towards Fang-Fei and offered "Do you want to play with us?" Fang-Fei's cerulean eyes pierced her own, searching, almost searching. For what, she didn't know. Could've been sincerity, trust, friendliness, anything. Then, a smile slowly crept up to her face. "Sure, Meiling, I'd love to." she answered, almost shyly but very pleasantly. And, most surprisingly, sincerely. That one smile seemed addicting as one came on each Sakura and Meiling's face.

Meanwhile, Tomoyo stared down into the water which was currently right at her ankles. It was very clear, sparkling as the sunlight reflected off it. Very pretty. "Mind if I join you?" Tomoyo's ears perked up and her eyes traveled slowly to the eyes of the beholding speaker. A bright, unique amber shone back. Tomoyo shook her head, happily and almost blissfully. "No, I don't mind." Syaoran smiled tentatively before walking out into the water. "I remember how we used to come to beaches at least three times a summer. It was such fun. Those were where we learned to swim, got those painful sunburns-" "became best friends." Tomoyo added, interrupting him. He smiled again, making her heart flutter just a bit.

"Let's go out and swim." Syaoran suggested, abruptly after a few minutes of silence had crawled by. Tomoyo nodded in agreement, a sweet smile on her face. She couldn't be any happier at this moment. Before Syaoran jumped in, he felt odd, as if the balance of [something] had gone wrong. He shook it off ignoring it. However, he couldn't help but feel as if something bad was going to happen. And oddly enough, even with the lack of magical ability, Tomoyo had the same feeling. But both was shaken off fairly quickly - it was a perfect day. What could ruin it?

For about half-an-hour, Tomoyo and Syaoran swam around in the clear blue sea, enjoying each other's company and the aura of familiarity and friendship all around them. Eriol observed all this, with almost bitter eyes. They reflected an almost gray color, stone-hard and cold. And full of sorrow. His eyes were an extraordinary thing, really. They changed shades of color, sometimes a light blue happiness shining within them, other times a sad dark blue glow resided, and yet other times, such as now, a gray showed up. A bitter, hard-cold gray.

~*~

"Are you having fun?" Meiling raised her head to the voice and saw Touya's dark eyes staring back at hers. She jumped back a little, startled. As soon as her over-anxious brain took in the information, she nodded tentatively, feeling the noticeable raise of speed in her heartbeat. "How about you?" she responded, for the sake of keeping her hold on sanity. He nodded but cast an annoyed look towards Nakuru. "But [she's] been in my hair all day, screaming about this, screaming about that. Makes it a bit difficult to keep sane." Meiling giggled at his comments towards Nakuru who was now playing ball with Sakura and Fang-Fei. "Nakuru will always be Nakuru." Meiling commented, warmth spreading throughout her heart. Touya nodded curtly in agreement.

The wind picked up. Syaoran subtly noticed but took no note of it. What could a minuscule rise in the wind speed do? However, as the wind picked up, so did the speed and force of the waves. But not so much as to be noted. They were both having so much fun, swimming around and splashing each other. Both were full of smiles which was rare in Syaoran. The only other times were occasionally with his family when something amusing or happy was taking place, or the other times when he was happy... like with Sakura. He blushed slightly at the thought.

After a while, Syaoran began to tire as he had swam earlier, training and practicing. Intensely. After he explained this, Tomoyo nodded him off with a content smile and a small happy shine in her eyes. He swam away, leaving her to venture off further in the water. Although she had a negative foreboding about it, she shook it off. What could happen on such a perfect, happy day? This left her careless and free, setting her soul flying off into the sky. She just couldn't imagine what could happen on a day such as this. Nothing could possibly be ruined. Nothing.

~*~

Eriol had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling. His eyes scanned the whole beach, looking towards where Sakura, Syaoran, Meiling, and Fang-Fei were chatting away and where Touya, Yukito, and Nakuru sat, eating a small snack. Where was Tomoyo? His eyes frantically searched the scenery before him and saw her swimming in the ocean, contentedly, peacefully. He didn't know what was going to happen, but his predictive mind warned him to keep his eye out for anything. Anything that could possibly happen, and he had the instinctive feeling to keep the closest eye on Tomoyo.

At that moment, the wind speed picked up a notch, reaching the point where the wave could wash over Tomoyo's head. Her eyes widened slightly as she ducked in the water to avoid the force of the wave. However, she was pushed around slightly underwater as well. Her head popped back up and wondered what had happened just now. As she turned her head back around, a wave jumped on her, surprising her and sending her mind spinning. She forced her head back up to cough and get a fresh breath of air only to be plummeted down once again by another wave - except this one was bigger, a lot bigger.

What was [wrong] with her? When she thought a good day was coming up, something always had to go wrong. Except this time, her life was on the line. Thoughts of death ran through her head and she felt like mumbling, if she could, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die", quite frankly, other than that, not much crossed her mind. Except the fact that she couldn't apologize to her mother or even get to see and absorb everything of her father that she had missed for eleven years. Or the fact that all her close friends and her cousin, Sakura, would be in sorrow until the death of a person finally overrides. Or the fact that she couldn't even tell Syaoran how much she actually loved him... or savor the great times she thought she would have in the near future with Hiiragizawa. But all was about to end, or as she thought anyhow.

Eriol jumped up. Something was wrong, definitely wrong. His eyes turned to his right. No, nothing wrong with the other seven currently lazing around on the beach, completely unaware. Well, except for Syaoran who looked as if he would probe it in not much time. However, Eriol ran up a small cliff overlooking the sea, only several feet above the surface of the water. Where was Tomoyo? Where the [hell] was she? He took in deep breaths. Eriol couldn't panic [now] as he never even did. And suddenly, he spotted her, gasping for breath right above the surface of the water... and then she was submerged and then disappeared.

Eriol's eyes rapidly moved back and forth over the water to find Tomoyo. No sign of her. 'The wave must have been pretty hard...' Eriol thought, still scanning the surface of the water. Then he saw something. Tomoyo's head was floating above the surface just a tiny bit then she started to sink. Terror petrified Eriol's mind. This couldn't be happening... Eriol opened his mouth and said something he wouldn't have dared to say a few days before. "TOMOYO!!!" he shouted loud and clear, tears stinging his eyes. Eriol then jumped into the ocean. He had to find her.

He moved his arms and legs frantically, trying to keep above the strong current as best as possible. It was very difficult, but he managed. It was very beneficial thing that he had practiced swimming all those years. He heard desperate shouts of Tomoyo's and his own name being called, frantic and shocked. He couldn't stop, though, until he found her and got her back to shore safe and sound. When he about reached the level of where Tomoyo was when she sunk, he took a deep breath and ducked underwater before the wave could get him.

His eyes scanned the whole area around him, his eyes concentrated. Thank the Lord it was day out. Otherwise, Eriol wouldn't have been able to find her. In the distance, a figure floated. Could it be Tomoyo? It had to be. He started to swim towards it, discovering that it [was] Tomoyo herself. He wrapped an arm around her waist and used thrice the effort, dragging Tomoyo along. They broke through the surface, and from there on, Eriol struggled even harder to try and get Tomoyo back to safety. He couldn't fail. He couldn't. He had to get her back. He couldn't just let her die. Or he'd die as well.

As Touya, Yukito, and Syaoran were ready to jump in and help at any moment, it didn't seem as if Eriol needed much at all. Yes, he was struggling very much which was very obvious, but the concentration on his face was what kept them glued to the spot. They knew he would bring her safely. It was written all over his face and was clear and unambiguous, that he would bring her back no matter what. No matter what, for one reason or another, they couldn't quite tell, he'd bring her back. Whether his life was hanging or not.

Soon enough, as Eriol was rushing anxiously, Tomoyo was on the shore of the beach, on her back. Some of the tight stress gripping his heart was released as he absorbed the fact that she was on shore and rather not in the water, drowning. Everyone else was crowded around, most obviously very worried about Tomoyo and anxious to see if she would survive. On instinct, he leaned to perform CPR. Quite frankly, although it wasn't his first time using CPR as a life device, it was awkward and strange, as if he was in a dream. Of course he wouldn't call it a kiss. But still, his lips were to her soft ones. However, he reverted his focus to the situation at hand - to save Tomoyo.

~*~

Eriol sat there in a chair within the health office of the beach, relevantly exhausted. He needed the rest too, seeing to it that he [had] used much energy to rescue Tomoyo. Not that many people would have done that, no matter how much they loved Tomoyo. He let his head hang in his hands. That was a close one. Very close. In the bed lay Tomoyo, who had apparently fainted after she had been revived of the drowning. She must have used large amounts of energy as well. Eriol sighed and just watched her sleeping peacefully. 'Daidouji, you get into too much trouble, do you know? Although you don't deserve it...' a voice in his head rang annoyingly. What good was [any] of this doing?

His head reverted back to the scene earlier. [Tomoyo]. He had actually yelled her name, not her last name, the honorable way to refer to someone not very close. It showed manners, a good presentment, and the definition of 'distance' in their 'bond.' He just hoped that no one had heard what he had called her, much less let [Daidouji] herself know. His mind averted the subject - he didn't want to ponder upon his foolish and, to put it bluntly, downright humiliating, He wouldn't be able to live seeing Tomoyo's face ever again - and yet, right now, he couldn't live without either.

Next thing he knew, he was staring down at Tomoyo, not any particular subjects or memories, just the appearance of Tomoyo's face in his. Drinking in every detail from the curve of her chin to every eyelash. He blushed heavily and reached out to wipe a few strands of her out of her eyes. No, he wasn't supposed to blush. He was the great reincarnation of Clow Reed. He couldn't waste much-needed time on foolish games like love. But pretty sure enough, it didn't sound much like a game at all. The more he knew it, the better he seemed to know the way things go and the realism involved in all of it. It wasn't all that pretty.

As he was lost in his thoughts, he had mindlessly reach over to tuck another strand of hair behind her ear. The skin of forehead was so soft and smooth. Before he realized what he was doing, his hand had slipped down to stroke her cheek, his fingers leaving a trail on her cheek, barely touched but tingling with the feeling of the slight touch. Tomoyo started to stir, movement rising in her body after a pretty long while. Her mouth opened, almost as if to speak. 'Is she awake?' Eriol wondered continuing to stare at her, to drink her in. And what he heard next sent a spark through his spinal chord.

"Eriol..." Tomoyo mumbled, almost as if she was speaking out for help. His face turned a queer tomato color, and he was looking down at Tomoyo in shock. What the [hell] was just happening? Suddenly, Tomoyo's eyes fluttered open and she sat straight up - and her face ended up just inches away from Eriol's. "H-H-Hiiragizawa!" she shrieked in a panicked manner, falling back onto the bed. She looked up at him with humiliated eyes, pleading. Pleading for what, he didn't know, but he was just utterly confused. Just like he was thinking just minute's ago.

"Did I just..." Tomoyo trailed off, not wanting to say it. Eriol nodded solemnly, still in shock, his mouth clamped tight. "I'm so sorry..." Tomoyo whispered, pulling her sheets off. "I better-" she was cut off as she tripped off of the bed. Eriol reached out and caught her in his arms. "Are you alright?" Deja vu returned to them both. It was getting stranger and stranger every time, but it wasn't [bad] or anything of that. It was almost... pleasant. Tomoyo nodded and let herself be pushed onto the bed in a sitting position. Her eyes were cast down, afraid to look up.

"You're still out of energy. Rest some more." A compassionate, caring voice. No revenge, no plans of possession, no evil intentions. She looked up to find Eriol's eyes shining back at her. She gave a tiny smile before reverting her gaze. A few minutes passed and none spoke. "But, was it that," Tomoyo started. "you had called me by [my] real name?" Eriol swallowed hard before keeping his mouth shut. It was better than lying or telling the blunt and revealed truth, especially in a friend. Eriol nodded slowly, feeling an oncoming foreboding. 'It's over, it's over, we're over.' he seemed to think, waiting for a harsh response. Rather than that, he got a giggle, a giggle that sounded like bells.

"Oh, so I see." Tomoyo teased, winking playfully. Eriol smiled along. No, it was [not] over. "How about we just do this, Daidouji." Eriol suggested in a friendly matter, receiving an inquisitive eye from Tomoyo. Eriol continued. "How about we just call each other informally... like each other's first names." He waited for the reply, anxious to see if it would be a negative or a positive one, or in other words, the unwanted or the desired. Relief spread throughout his heart as he saw the corners of Tomoyo's mouth tugging upwards.

"I think I'd like that. I think I'd truly like that... Eriol." Tomoyo spoke each word clearly and cleanly, enunciating perfectly, sweet savory rolling off her voice. "I think I'll like it as well, Tomoyo." That very moment or whatnot, Eriol was happy, truly happy as a new bond was formed, the two just looking across at each other, smiling for happiness's sake.

~End of Chapter

A/N: [Finally the chapter is DONE!] It took [months], I know. I just hope I didn't lose any readers ^^; That was a long chapter if you ask me, the longest ever written by me *sweatdrop*. So, I hope you enjoyed, if it was enjoyable at all, and I [promise] that I'll [try] to get chapters out faster. If I don't [try] then you could smack me upside the head. You know, school, homework, and those usual excuses, hehe. I hope E+T fans liked the little scene at the end. I enjoyed writing it ^__^. If I'm not wrong, wouldn't you say that this fiction is just a [bit] E+T oriented? If that's so, I'll try to make it rounded a bit better next time. For the meanwhile, read the previews:

[Syaoran's face paled. You and Hiiragizawa... nothing's... going on, is there?" Tomoyo smiled at Syaoran's antics. "Of course not, Syaoran. Why would you say?" His face was serious and unrevealing. "No, it's nothing." He cast a suspicious eye at Eriol. Whatever he was up to couldn't be good... "Are you sure Hiiragizawa's up to no good?" Tomoyo gave Syaoran a strange eye. "Syaoran, he's not that bad."]

[Sakura's knees buckled as she stood in front of the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people. The day had finally arrived. They had practiced much over the last few days, and Sakura hoped it wasn't going to be in vain. The music started playing, Syaoran playing the guitar. Sakura smiled, feeling his near presence right there. That gave her the bit of courage necessary. As her cue came up, she opened her mouth and took a deep breath.]

["Hiiragizawa." a familiar voice rang out. Eriol turned to find Syaoran staring harshly. "Oh, my little descendant. What's wrong?" Eriol spoke in that sugary sweet voice Syaoran loathed so much. However, Syaoran walked straight towards Eriol and kept Eriol against the wall by trapping Eriol's neck with his hand. "Break her heart, and I'll break your head." Eriol found that amusing, very amusing. "I'd rather say the same to you." And with that, he walked away, leaving behind a confused Syaoran.]

["You're a great girl, Meiling." She stopped dead in her tracks. He had just called her Meiling. He had always called her "kid" or "girl" before... "What's wrong?" he inquired, looking back at her. "Ayah, nothing, Touya." He colored scarlet and turned around. He felt her slip her hand into his, and it never changed. It may have seemed as if it was a brother and a little sister, holding hands and walking, however, it sure didn't feel that way.]

["SAKURA!" Sakura turned shocked to find Syaoran charging at her and pushing her rather forcefully out of the way of a speeding car. They both lay there on the end of the crosswalk, Syaoran's arms locked around Sakura as he winced in pain. Sakura just lay there, an oddly mixed emotion in her heart. He had just saved her life, and the shout of her name still rang in her ears like a bell. Tears filled her eyes. What the hell had she just done?]

["I think it's about high time you actually meet your daughter and niece." Sonomi suggested coldly, glancing at Konoko. "I think so too. Tonight, I will." Sonomi scoffed. "Don't think that Tomoyo will love you just because you're her father. She is very angry about all the lies, all the hurt of thinking she had no faster." Sonomi smirked almost triumphantly. "I know, dearest, I fear she has your fire." he grinned, attaining an unappreciative glare.]

["A new student has joined our class. His name is Satoshi Yogami. Everyone welcome him warmly." Sakura's attention seemed to be caught as soon as she heard the name. Could it be? Was it him? Yes, it apparently was as a boy with black hair and deep green eyes strode into the room. His eyes seemed to be locked on Sakura. Syaoran couldn't help but feel contempt for this stranger boy. Much contempt.]

End of Previews

Lots of fun next time! I'm estimating that chapter will be long as well so keep your eyes out! Please review 'cause I want to see just how much you like it! The more reviews, the more fuel [hopefully] burns. So review away, please? 'Til next chapter! Ja ne!


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